Pedestrian Navigation Aids, Spatial Knowledge and Walkability

Abstract

GIScience 2016 Short Paper Proceedings Pedestrian Navigation Aids, Spatial Knowledge and Walkability Jia Wang, Michael Worboys Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Greenwich, 30 Park Row, London SE10 9LS, UK Email: {J.Wang, M.Worboys}@greenwich.ac.uk Abstract This study attempts to demonstrate the impact of pedestrian navigation aids on spatial knowledge acquisition and its link to walkability in an urban environment. Spatial knowledge is important for pedestrian travel. Rich spatial knowledge contributes to a good mental image of the walking environment, which consequently increases travel confidence and potentially allows more active walking. While there are plenty of studies on walkability, little work has been done on how navigation aids influence walkability. Using a pilot wayfinding experiment, we examined the effect on users’ acquired spatial knowledge of two major pedestrian navigation aids used in London in comparison to direct experience of routes. 1. Introduction and Background Walkability has become a widely discussed topic in urban and transportation planning and gained public interest since 2005. A walkable city that provides an accessible walking environment encourages more pedestrian walking. This results in benefits to the economy, improved public health and reduced ground emissions. Existing walkability studies focus on the assessment of street pattern, land use diversity and housing density (Frank et al. 2010), and relate to local routes and subjective pedestrian perceptions (Ewing and Handy 2006). Spatial knowledge is important for pedestrian travel. Better spatial knowledge contributes to richer cognitive maps and thus allows improved understanding of the walking space. Acquired spatial knowledge of an environment can be differentiated depending on whether it comes from direct resources associated with travel experiences or from indirect resources such as signs and maps. Researchers conducted several experiments to compare spatial knowledge obtained from different resources (Ishikawa et al. 2008). The design and placement of signage systems clearly affect pedestrian orientation during their journeys (Arthur and Passini 1992), and thus have impact on spatial knowledge. Recently various types of pedestrian navigation aids (PNA) have been developed as aids in wayfinding. These systems assist pedestrians in gaining the ability to get from one place to another, without getting lost (most of the time). Existing work focused mostly on GPS-based mobile devices (e.g., Huang et al. 2012). Little work has been done on how different PNAs, digital or non-digital, static or dynamic, influence spatial knowledge acquisition of pedestrians. In this paper, we aim to demonstrate the influences of different types of pedestrian navigation aids on spatial knowledge acquisition. A navigation aid was assessed by its support of spatial knowledge acquisition of its users. We conducted a pilot wayfinding experiment to assess the two major PNAs used in London (Google Maps & Legible London) in comparison to direct experience of routes as a base line. The Legible London system is a citywide signage system for pedestrian wayfinding initiated by Transport for London in 2007. It is designed to help visitors and local residents to easily gain local spatial knowledge and so