The spatial configuration of local climate zones reveals effects on wayfinding in human walking

Fan, Ping Yu; Chun, Kwok Pan; Tan, Mou Leong; Mah, Daphne; Mijic, Ana; Strickert, Graham; Yetemen, Omer

Abstract

The importance of easy wayfinding in complex urban settings has been recognized in spatial planning. Empirical measurement and explicit representation of wayfinding, however, have been limited in deciding spatial configurations. Our study proposed and tested an approach to improving wayfinding by incorporating spatial analysis of urban forms in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Great Bay Area in China. Wayfinding was measured by an indicator of intelligibility using spatial design network analysis. Urban spatial configurations were quantified using landscape metrics to describe the spatial layouts of local climate zones (LCZs) as standardized urban forms. The statistical analysis demonstrated the significant associations between urban spatial configurations and wayfinding. These findings suggested, to improve wayfinding, 1) dispersing LCZ 1 (compact high-rise) and LCZ 2 (compact mid-rise) and 2) agglomerating LCZ 3 (compact low-rise), LCZ 5 (open mid-rise), LCZ 6 (open low-rise), and LCZ 9 (sparsely built). To our knowledge, this study is the first to incorporate the LCZ classification system into the wayfinding field, clearly providing empirically-supported solutions for dispersing and agglomerating spatial configurations. Our findings also provide insights for human-centered spatial planning by spatial co-development at local, urban, and regional levels.

Citation

Fan, P. Y., Chun, K. P., Tan, M. L., Mah, D., Mijic, A., Strickert, G., & Yetemen, O. (2023). The spatial configuration of local climate zones reveals effects on wayfinding in human walking. PLoS ONE, 18(9), e0289780. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289780

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jul 25, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Sep 8, 2023
• Publication Date: Sep 8, 2023
• Deposit Date: Jul 27, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 22, 2023
• Journal: PLOS ONE
• Electronic ISSN: 1932-6203
• Publisher: Public Library of Science
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 18
• Issue: 9
• Pages: e0289780
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289780
• Keywords: Wayfinding; Spatial configuration; Intelligibility; Landscape metrics; Local climate zone; Space syntax
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10981894