Spatial configuration of fire protection for historical streets in China using space syntax

Historical streets are greatly threatened by fires. However, current studies are qualitative and case specific, which makes their results impractical to apply in engineering. In this paper, a more quantitative and universal approach that focuses on the spatial forms of historical streets and fire protection design in historic districts is proposed. Notably, a holistic solution for renovation is proposed. The accessibility of the surrounding sections of an old town in China is assessed based on spatial design network analysis (sDNA), and the fire risk of buildings is determined with point of interest (POI) data. Areas with poor accessibility and high fire risk are identified. The areas recommended for demolition are selected by comparing the protection plans for areas with recent satellite maps. A plan that includes key fire protection areas, road network designs and micro fire stations is derived. Multisource data are used to examine possibilities for the spatial design of fire protection along historical streets from a spatial perspective. Then, this approach is validated to verify its feasibility. The validation results indicate that the sum, mean and standard deviation values of the closeness and betweenness of the renovated roads are significantly improved. The solution proposed in this paper enhances the fire safety level of historical streets, which is of great significance for the safety and protection of old town areas.