Perception Of Urban Environment Research Articles

Urban Landscape Perception Research Based on the ERP Method: A Case Study of Jingdezhen, China

Within the rapidly growing urban tourism industry, the development of urban landscapes plays a crucial role in shaping a city’s image and competitiveness; however, standardized and mismatched landscapes often have a negative impact, highlighting the importance of assessing urban landscape perceptions. Although existing studies have discussed this through subjective questionnaires and physiological methods, the underlying neural mechanisms have not been thoroughly explored. The research focuses on Jingdezhen, a renowned historical and cultural city in China, as its case study. Utilized the event-related potential (ERP) method to explore individuals’ perceptual consistency and neural activity toward different types of urban landscapes. We adopted a 2 (landscape type: historical, modern) X 2 (perceptual match: consistent, inconsistent) within-subject design while recording behavioral data and electrophysiological responses. The results showed that, under any condition, there were no significant differences in people’s behavioral data. Neurophysiological results indicate that consistent perceptions of modern landscapes elicited greater P200 responses, suggesting increased attention driven by visual aesthetics and emotional activation. Under conditions of perceptual inconsistency, historical landscapes elicited higher N400 amplitudes than modern landscapes, revealing cognitive conflict and effort. This study demonstrates that P200 and N400 components are effective indicators for assessing urban perception, proving the viability of the event-related potential method in urban landscape research. Additionally, the research reveals the neural mechanisms of urban environmental perception from the early stages of attention and emotional distribution to the later stages of cognitive decision-making, which involve cognitive processes from “bottom-up” to “top-down”. This study not only provides a reference for efficient design planning for those involved in urban science but also inspires the coordination between the developmental needs of historical and modern urban landscapes. Moreover, it offers a new perspective for an interdisciplinary approach to urban perception assessment.

FORMATION OF CITY IDENTITY BY MEANS OF GRAPHIC DESIGN (THE EXAMPLE OF SAINT PETERSBURG)

The article considers the problems of forming and development of visual environment of a large European city on the example of Saint Petersburg. Human interaction with architectural and graphic components of urban space is analysed in context of visual perception. The peculiarities of the impact of urban visual information objects on human perception of urban environment are revealed. Particular attention is paid to the influence of the visual information environment on the formation of the aesthetic image of the city. The specifics of legislative regulation of the quality of visual information environment in Saint Petersburg are highlighted.

Structural Equation Modeling Analysis on Urban Environmental Perception and Life Satisfaction

Structural Equation Modeling Analysis on Urban Environmental Perception and Life Satisfaction

Urban walking as a practice of care: sensorial activism in Durban, South Africa

In this article, I explore how the sensory perception of urban environments translates into an activist practice of care. Based on a case study from my digital ethnography, I argue that activist artist and architect Doung Anwar Jahangeer’s performative “City Walks” are aimed at experimenting with, questioning and reframing perceptions of marginalised places in Durban. Re-interpreting and re-experiencing public attributions of meaning to locations through walking allows for a sensory re-appropriation of places labelled as poor and dangerous. Conceiving of sensing as an active process, I argue that sensorial ways of caring transcend boundaries of normativity, space and time in the city. I show how urban walking practices of care have the potential to partially realise future visions of spatial and social justice through sensory engagement with the city.

Graph Matching Based Image Registration for Multi-View Through-the-Wall Imaging Radar

Among various types of sensors, through-the-wall imaging radar (TWIR) is widely used in concealed targets detection and urban environment perception. Especially, multi-view TWIR has been received more and more attention in recent years for its ability to provide more accurate position estimation and reduce the blind areas. However, when exploiting the multi-view TWIR to detect targets in the complicated indoor environment with an unavailable global positioning system, the relative position of the radars is hard to be obtained and the acquired non-uniform images can not be aligned automatically. To deal with these problems, an image registration approach based on graph matching for multi-view TWIR is proposed in this paper. In this approach, we exploit an important feature of multi-view TWIR images: the invariant relative position of targets in different views. Based on this characteristic, the acquired images are modeled as complete graphs, and graph matching is employed to acquire the relative position parameters of the radars and register the images. Compared with the classic method, the proposed method can overcome the critical challenges of invalid local features as well as high-intensity ghosts, and achieve better performance for multi-view TWIR image registration. The effectiveness of the proposed method is evaluated via both simulations and real data tests.

ДОСУГ В СТРУКТУРЕ ЖИЗНЕСПОСОБНОСТИ ДВУХ ПОКОЛЕНИЙ МОСКВИЧЕЙ

The article is devoted to comparing the preferred leisure activity of the two age groups of Muscovites and to identifying the connection of these preferences with other socio-psychological parameters of their viability. The sample consisted of 258 respondents with two age groups: 158 aged 18-35 and 100 aged 61-84. Methods were used: value orientations, author’s questionnaires of preferences for leisure activity, social responsibility, evaluation of positive and negative perception of urban environment, «scale of urban identity» M. Lalli. It is found that leisure choices are characterized by entertainment in both groups, but its cultural and educational appearance – visiting exhibitions, museums, theatres – is more characteristic of the older generation. Young people are more likely to engage in leisure activities such as cafés, bars, restaurants, shopping and extreme entertainment, which are related to the stress of the city. The role of positive perception of the city – city holidays, etc. - in the choice of leisure activities is noted. A lack of internal responsibility among young people may be related both to a lack of time, to a general hedonic focus of leisure, and to a lack of confidence in their ability to influence urban solutions.

The image of the City on social media: A comparative study using “Big Data” and “Small Data” methods in the Tri-City Region in Poland

“The Image of the City” by Kevin Lynch is a landmark planning theory of lasting influence; its scientific rigor and relevance in the digital age were in dispute. The rise of social media and other digital technologies offers new opportunities to study the perception of urban environments. Questions remain as to whether social media analytics can provide a reliable measure of perceived city images? If yes, what implication does it hold for urban planners? This paper describes a study on the perception of city images using a combination of “big data” and “small data” methods in the Tri-City Region in Poland. The aims were to 1) test the hypothesis whether social media analytics can elicit Lynchian elements of city image in consistency with conventional methods, and 2) develop and evaluate social media-based indicators of Imageability for planning practice. Geo-tagged images and texts were collected from Instagram and Twitter, two popular social media platforms in Poland. Text-Mining, Image Processing, Clustering Analysis, Kernel Density Estimation, and Sentiment Analysis were used. Results were compared with benchmarks constructed from official GIS database, questionnaire responses and sketch maps. “District”, “landmark”, and “path” identified on social media were in good agreements with benchmarks, less so for “edge” and “node”. Two social media-based indicators have influenced the perception of a place: Instagramability, the frequency of a place captured on Instagram, was linked to its perception as an architectural landmark and tourist attraction, while Twitterability, the frequency of a place mentioned on Twitter by name, was linked to its perceived niceness and relevance to everyday life of communities. Methods developed in this study have theoretical and practical implications for urban planners.

Modeling and evaluating the residential urban environment perception

Abstract This article discusses the use of machine learning methods for assessing and predicting the perception of urban environment by citizens. The research is based on the analysis of the data collected from social surveys and characteristics of the environment from open sources. The urban environment is seen as a complex system that can be analyzed though the point of view of the urban context. The urban context is formed by the geophisical and social features that forms citizens habitat. At the same time, the perception of the urban environment by citizens depends both on the parameters of the urban environment and on the socio-demographic features of the studied group. The article discusses models for predicting the citizens’ perception of the urban environment and evaluation methods of such models. The authors propose the application of the model on the case of St. Petersburg, Russia.

Sidewalk in Indian city as a space of marginalization of a pedestrian

The paper focuses on the problems of sidewalks in Indian urban space considered through the lens of their relations with the “neighbors” – highways and facades of the buildings. The stripe of pave between them intended for the transit of pedestrians is aggressively claimed by both sides. Thin footpaths (if any) and lack of dividers between pedestrians and fast moving cars visually demonstrate priority given to highways in Indian cities. Spatial discrimination of the pedestrians makes it totally uncomfortable and unsafe for those using sidewalks. At the same time Indian sidewalks are under strong pressure from commercial activity, which instead of being located behind the facades of the buildings occupy transit zones intended for walking. These zones are completely blocked by parked cars and motorbikes, road signs, constructions, trees, small temples, statues, sleeping people, slums, cows, dogs, as well as innumerable vendors and stalls selling everything that somebody can imagine. Neglecting the interests of the moving people could be ascribed to specific perception of urban environment in India characterized by intolerance to the idea of emptiness when every empty space tends to be seen as available for either transport, business purposes or other stationary activity. As a result sidewalk turns into the place of amobility and the pedestrian – into a cast-off and marginalized figure in the street. Based on Jeff Speck’s theory of walkability and other modern urban concepts the article analyses the specifics of Indian urban space planning that mostly runs contrary to the instincts of developed-world urbanists.

Innovative technologies of sculptural and applied activities in bachelor-architects training

The environment architectural and artistic appearance forms interrelations with the buildings cultural space organization, the sculpture and sculpture compositions presence problem in the urban environment perception are considered. The architecture future masters’ creative development by means of sculptural and applied activity is analyzed.

Interdisciplinary Study of Safety Perception of Urban Environment as a Factor Contributing to Development of Contemporary Urbanization Processes Typology

Interdisciplinary Study of Safety Perception of Urban Environment as a Factor Contributing to Development of Contemporary Urbanization Processes Typology

Sustainable mobility in Lyon: should we hang private car drivers?

Incriminated for negative externalities such as both local and global pollution, noise, sealing extension or public space high consumption, private cars have been perceived as a factor of un-sustainable mobility since the early 80’s by urban planners and designers. In the new paradigm of the so-called “sustainable city” urban planners and designers target now a modification of social behaviour and particularly social mobility practices. The production of transport alternatives and restrictions to automobiles in city centres through car-parking limitations and fare systems as developed in urban mobility plans (Plans de Deplacements Urbains) are unfortunately too weak to generate a modal shift ripple-effect in French cities. Considering the last issue of the French national institute of statistics and economic studies’ survey (Hubert, 2009) the modal-share in favour of car-transit remains the same for the period of time between 1994 and 2008 for the biggest French cities, in spite of steady efforts for the development of public transportation alternatives such as the diffusion of the tramway’s comeback (from Grenoble 1986, to Dijon 2013). According to a series of relatively recent research papers (Kaufmann, 2002 ; Lefevre & Offner, 1990) focused on the “economically irrational” behaviour of the majority of private-car drivers concerning the question of modal shift, a research framework has been developed. This frameworks specially focuses on the disconnect between the rationalities of resistant car-driver’s social mobility practices in the metropolitan space, compared to the rationale of urban mobility masterplans has, assuming that user’s “tactics” answer planner’s “strategies” (De Certeau, 1990). This approach of identifying this disconnect between rationalities in planning and rationalities in social practices in the urban mobility context is aimed to extend to the complex perception of urban environments by car-drivers, to identify new targets of modal-split policies to be structured as new action-levers. This perception will deal with several issues orchestrated through urban design projects such as public spaces, physical distances or parking constraints. The second main issue of this conceptual framework deals with rationalities of user’s mobility practices. The axiological rationality (Boudon, 1995) seems to be heuristic to question values and practices, searching for the rationale behind the conclusions that users draw when making mobility decisions (for example “the car is faster in my situation”). This justification process needs to be finely analyzed in combination with several concepts, norms and values that “make sense” for the individual. We propose the hypothesis that the combination of perception biases and axiological rationalities could helps to explain behaviors defined as “irrational” for urban mobility planners and to delineate the major levers of social acceptation and adoption of so-called sustainable urban environments.

Analysing olfactory and auditory sensescapes in English cities: Sensory expectation and urban environmental perception

Cet article analyse la manière dont les individus perçoivent une gamme variée de stimuli, notamment les sons et les odeurs émis par l’activité humaine, lors de leur déambulation dans les espaces publics des villes anglaises. La démonstration s’appuie sur deux études portant sur la déambulation sensorielle (sensewalking) menées entre 2004 et 2009 indépendamment l’une de l’autre mais avec un objectif identique. La première explore la perception de l’environnement olfactif, tandis que l’autre, s’attarde sur les expériences sonores urbaines. La comparaison des résultats montre que les expectations sensorielles modifient l’attitude des individus dans le milieu urbain en induisant des niveaux de signification et de compréhension variés. Par conséquent, il y a là un défi pour les architectes et les aménageurs de créer des milieux où la prise en compte de ces différents modes de perception pourrait conduire à des réponses plus adéquates. Si l’on convient que la perception (ou la non perception) des odeurs et des sons est fortement influencée par l’environnement, il est donc fondamental que le contexte initial soit prise en compte au moment de redéfinir et de gérer les aménagements sensoriels urbains.

Архитектурная среда: вопросы туристской аттрактивности

The article is devoted to the architectural sphere development key idea as one of the main tourist interest components. The article tells us that today it is increasing the importance of the visual urban environment perception and impressions, tourist social experience forming. These conditions provoke a significant meaning of architecture as an attractor. Modern requirements dictate the introduction of modern marketing management mechanism architectural forms need, including their optimal using in the tourism industry. It contents a lot of world and domestic practice examples. It mentions a special interest to the architectural forms creation processes and modification on the purposes of it integration in tourism. These processes could be realized through the urban environment museumification, remake-building constructing, the unrealized architectural projects implementation, architectural reset", as well as through the design of new attractions.

The Prospects and Problems of Integrating Sketch Maps with Geographic Information Systems to Understand Environmental Perception: A Case Study of Mapping Youth Fear in Los Angeles Gang Neighborhoods

How people feel about places matters, especially in their neighborhood. It matters for their health, the health of their children, and their social cohesion and use of local resources. A growing body of research in public health, planning, psychology, and sociology bears out this point. Recently, a new methodological tack has been taken to find out how people feel about places. The sketch map, a once popular tool of behavioral geographers and environmental psychologists to understand how people perceive the structural aspects of places, is now being used in concert with geographic information systems (GIS) to capture and spatially analyze the emotional side of urban environmental perception. This confluence is generating exciting prospects for what we can learn about the characteristics of the urban environment that elicit emotion. However, due to the uncritical way this approach has been employed to date, excitement about the prospects must be tempered by the acknowledgement of its potential problems. In this paper we review the extant research on integrating sketch maps with GIS and then employ a case study of mapping youth fear in Los Angeles gang neighborhoods to demonstrate these prospects and the problems, particularly in the areas of (1) representation of environmental perception in GIS and (2) spatial analysis of these data.

Emotional Perception of Urban Environments

Fil: Tonello, Graciela Lucia del Carmen. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Tucuman. Instituto de Investigacion En Luz, Ambiente y Vision; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de Tucuman; Argentina

TOPONYMS AND NAMES OF HISTORICAL PERSONS IN THE PRESENT-DAY URBANONYMS OF LATGALE REGION

Entire set of names presented in the urban area is considered to be urbanonyms – these are the names of address objects (streets, squares, etc.) and the names of other urban objects (parks, hillforts, markets, cemeteries, etc.), as well as the names of separate urban housing estates – both offi cially approved by the authorities and arbitrarily nominated by the population. Urbanonyms are featuring originality of geographical location and particularity of topographical environment of the town or the city, displaying cultural and historical realities, and opening ideological statements of the epoch. In the towns and cities of Latgale during the initial period of formation of the streets, naming thereof has been closely linked to the immediate perception of urban environment and has been taking place spontaneously, by the system of urbanonyms representing territorial features of terrain, type of land use, landscapes and hydrographic network. Urbanonyms in the same way are describing the elements and the most important objects of the urban social and economic infrastructure, for that reason they very often appear also in street names of the towns and cities. The most widely used urbanonym in Latgale is represented by Skolas (School) street, which is found in 13 towns and cities of Latgale region, as the most popular urbanonyms also Baznīcas (Church) (in 10 towns and cities), Parka (Park) and Tirgus (Market) streets (in 9 towns and cities), Dzirnavu (Mill) and Stacijas (Station) streets (in 8 towns and cities) have to be mentioned. Over the 20th century, ideological strata of different powers have had an increasingly high impact on the urbanonyms, for example, more and more frequent naming the streets after notable historic persons or events, in the same way urbanonyms have had to promote emergence of connotations beneficial to the existing power. It is likewise understandable, since urbanonyms are affecting views with regard to the surrounding world of urban residents already since their childhood. It is established that urbanonyms "are the language segment, where ideology of each power is expressed in the most pronounced way” (Balode 2008) and "urbanonyms are national symbols – the same as flag and anthem” (Питкевич 2007). The research is aimed to provide extended characteristics of the Latgale urbanonyms, encompassing all the 14 towns and cities of the Latgale planning region (Balvi, Dagda, Daugavpils, Ilūkste, Kārsava, Krāslava, Līvāni, Ludza, Preiļi, Rēzekne, Subate, Viļaka, Viļāni, Zilupe), as well as Varakļāni belonging to the cultural and historical region of Latgale. Topicalities of the studies of urbanonyms and issues related to their definition and classification are also being dealt with. In-depth analysis is being provided for the use of various categories of place-names or toponyms in contemporaneous urbanonyms of Latgale, trying to reveal also geographical regularities of their selection. Concurrently also various aspects of perpetuation of the memory of historical persons in the street names are discussed – both those reflecting cultural and historical realities of the region and those imposed by ideological settings of different powers. Toponyms are of major importance in street names of the towns and the cities of Latgale – their totality amounts to 132 units, but their frequency of names – 208. Toponyms constitute 17.1 % of total number of the object address names. 81 toponyms or 63.3 % from their total numbers are related to Latgale region, but according to their frequency major proportion is made by names of other Latvian towns and cities. The most frequent toponyms among urbanonyms in Latgale include: Latgale (9 nominations), Rīga (8 nominations), Rēzekne (7 nominations), Daugavpils, Ludza, Jelgava (6 nominations), Vidzeme, Liepāja (5 nominations). In the urbanonyms of Latgale anthroponyms are used significantly less than toponyms, for example, names of historical persons in Latgale are represented only by 84 denominations that make up 6.9 % of their totality. Notwithstanding the fact that after the Republic of Latvia regained its national independence, in many places change of the urbanonyms ideologically unacceptable for the new power has been taking place, the urbanonyms of Latgale still have maintained a comparatively large number of imprints of Soviet ideology - in particular it is typical for Daugavpils as the largest city in the region. Perpetuation into urbanonyms of the names of famous native residents once having lived in particular town or city should be particularly encouraged, thus maintaining live memory of the urban cultural and historical heritage, and also inculcating the feelings of patriotism into townspeople. Urbanonyms with immediate link to the geographical environment, and cultural and historical realities of the territory are providing assistance in highlighting particularity of the region, strengthening historical memory of the socium and promoting a sense of belonging to one’s own place of residence. The article has been developed within the framework of the ESF project No.2009/0227/1DP/1.1.1.2.0/09/APAI/VIAA/071 “Linguo-culturological and Socio- economic Aspects of Territorial Identity in the Development of the Region of Latgale”.

Qualitative analysis of pedestrians’ perception of the urban environment when crossing streets

Taking all users of the road system into account - notably those who use non-motorized modes of transportation - is a major challenge for urban engineers when designing roads and public spaces. And yet, although a body of knowledge exists concerning the effects of the environment on pedestrian accidentology, so far very little research has been carried out on the perception pedestrians have of the road environment (structure of buildings, vegetation, etc.) and its influence on decision-making when crossing. This exploratory research aims at studying this perception through a qualitative approach. The authors used the focus group method to study the perception of 20 two-way street environments with a certain level of diversity from the point of view of buildings (type, density, and heterogeneity), activities, position in relation to the city center, width of the sidewalks and type of traffic. The participants in the two focus groups were 11 regular or occasional pedestrians. The authors analyze the focus group’s responses in terms of perception of the environment, inferences about driver behavior (notably toward pedestrians), and influence on the pedestrian crossing behavior. Pedestrians prefer environments in which they have the upper hand or environments that are highly predictable. The results suggest a few tendencies or lines of approach concerning the design of spaces that make street crossing more comfortable for pedestrians. The authors note that the focus group method is of great interest for studying the perception and interpretation of urban environments.

The reactivation of the natural potentials of Belgrade: Biophilia and biomimicry as new competitive advantages?

Climate changes have influenced a new comprehension of living environment and instigated a number of trends noticeable in society, architecture and development strategies. The shaping of a purified, sustainable and 'low/no carbon' urban context, which has a higher environmental quality, has become an imperative which should be achieved by ecologically responsible behavior. Cities, as major nodes of global transmission and dissemination, act as experimental polygons. They simultaneously test the latest ecological and technological concepts, especially those based on the logic of natural systems - such as biophilia and biomimicry. Their application enables an intensive integration of nature into urban space, while the manifestation of nature - as a shape, function or a level of adaptability - becomes a new competitive advantage. The planning practice in Serbia has also started its gradual adjustment to the new imperatives but the pace of change is slow. Belgrade has recognized the importance of the latest ecoideas but they have not been materialized so far. The natural core of Belgrade, which consists of several river isles, river banks, forests and forelands, is nowadays emphasized as an important comparative advantage which could generate further changes in 'green' perception of urban environment. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to identify the potential of two natural areas within this core (Ada Ciganlija and Ada Medjica), critically evaluate their development possibilities based on biophilia and biomimicry, and to provide a set of recommendations which would support the activation and development of a similar natural area - Ada Caplja.

Sustainable mobility in Lyon: should we hang private car drivers?

Incriminated for negative externalities such as both local and global pollution, noise, sealing extension or public space high consumption, private cars have been perceived as a factor of un-sustainable mobility since the early 80’s by urban planners and designers. In the new paradigm of the so-called “sustainable city” urban planners and designers target now a modification of social behaviour and particularly social mobility practices. The production of transport alternatives and restrictions to automobiles in city centres through car-parking limitations and fare systems as developed in urban mobility plans (Plans de Deplacements Urbains) are unfortunately too weak to generate a modal shift ripple-effect in French cities. Considering the last issue of the French national institute of statistics and economic studies’ survey (Hubert, 2009) the modal-share in favour of car-transit remains the same for the period of time between 1994 and 2008 for the biggest French cities, in spite of steady efforts for the development of public transportation alternatives such as the diffusion of the tramway’s comeback (from Grenoble 1986, to Dijon 2013). According to a series of relatively recent research papers (Kaufmann, 2002 ; Lefevre & Offner, 1990) focused on the “economically irrational” behaviour of the majority of private-car drivers concerning the question of modal shift, a research framework has been developed. This frameworks specially focuses on the disconnect between the rationalities of resistant car-driver’s social mobility practices in the metropolitan space, compared to the rationale of urban mobility masterplans has, assuming that user’s “tactics” answer planner’s “strategies” (De Certeau, 1990). This approach of identifying this disconnect between rationalities in planning and rationalities in social practices in the urban mobility context is aimed to extend to the complex perception of urban environments by car-drivers, to identify new targets of modal-split policies to be structured as new action-levers. This perception will deal with several issues orchestrated through urban design projects such as public spaces, physical distances or parking constraints. The second main issue of this conceptual framework deals with rationalities of user’s mobility practices. The axiological rationality (Boudon, 1995) seems to be heuristic to question values and practices, searching for the rationale behind the conclusions that users draw when making mobility decisions (for example “the car is faster in my situation”). This justification process needs to be finely analyzed in combination with several concepts, norms and values that “make sense” for the individual. We propose the hypothesis that the combination of perception biases and axiological rationalities could helps to explain behaviors defined as “irrational” for urban mobility planners and to delineate the major levers of social acceptation and adoption of so-called sustainable urban environments.