Measuring Urban Space: A Spatial Framework for Transit Stop Siting

Authors

• Michael R. Leiting, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

First Advisor

Steven Hardy

Second Advisor

Jaime Lopez

Date of this Version

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Citation

A design thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Architecture at the University of Nebraska in partial fulfillment of requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture

Major: Architecture

Under the supervision of Professor Steven Hardy

Lincoln, Nebraska, May 2026

Comments

Copyright 2026, Michael R. Leiting. Used by permission

Abstract

Urban investment projects, particularly those related to transit infrastructure, are often evaluated through quantitative metrics that emphasize economic output, proximity, and development potential. While these measures provide useful benchmarks, they offer limited insight into the spatial conditions that shape how environments are structured, navigated, and occupied at the human scale. As a result, sites that appear comparable through conventional metrics may produce fundamentally different spatial experiences.

This thesis develops a drawing-based framework for evaluating spatial conditions across multiple urban sites. Four primary conditions, Urban Form, Threshold, Mobility, and Public Realm, are analyzed through standardized drawings and translated into corresponding indices. These indices quantify relationships between built and unbuilt space, building edge conditions, movement networks, and occupiable area, allowing spatial characteristics to be compared across sites using a consistent methodology.

Applied to three locations along the Omaha Streetcar corridor, the framework demonstrates how differences in spatial structure can be identified and measured beyond traditional distance-based or economic evaluations. Rather than producing a singular measure of quality, the indices operate as parallel tools that describe how spatial conditions are distributed and how they interact.

The results highlight that spatial qualities are not determined by a single factor, but emerge through the alignment and misalignment of multiple conditions. Continuity, fragmentation, distribution, and overlap between these conditions produce distinct spatial configurations that influence how sites function.

This research does not attempt to define ideal outcomes or predict behavior. Instead, it establishes a transferable method for observing and comparing spatial conditions, providing planners and designers with an additional tool to inform decision-making alongside existing analytical approaches.

Advisor: Steven Hardy