Abstract
ABSTRACT Spatial cognition is fundamental to the behaviour and activity of humans in urban space. Humans perceive their environments with systematic biases and errors, and act upon these perceptions, which in turn form urban patterns of activity. These perceptions are influenced by a multitude of factors, many of them relating to the static urban form. Yet much of geographic analysis ignores the influence of urban form, instead referring most commonly to the Euclidean arrangement of space. In this paper, we propose a novel spatial modelling framework for estimating cognitive distance in urban space. This framework is constructed from a wealth of research describing the effect of environmental factors on distance estimation, and produces a quantitative estimate of the effect based on standard GIS data. Unlike other cost measures, the cognitive distance estimate integrates systematically observed distortions and biases in spatial cognition. As a proof-of-concept, the framework is implemented for 26 cities worldwide using open data, producing a novel comparative measure of ‘cognitive accessibility’. The paper concludes with a discussion of the potential of this approach in analysing and modelling urban systems, and outlines areas for further research.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: International Journal of Geographical Information Science
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
