1. The Role of Non-visual Sense in the Quality of Pedestrian Space.
- Author
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Gashniani, Mostafa Gholipour
- Abstract
Nowadays, the crisis associated with cities and their residents has discarded the spirit of the city. Moreover, latest researches of environmental psychology have indicated that meeting human needs, including the need for privacy, relaxation, contemplation, self evaluation and self development, are effective in enhancing the rate of mental health and active participation of pedestrians in the city. This can result in reduction of many mental and physical illnesses and also social diseases in communities. However, as long as there is no favorable place for the addresses, the quality of life in cities can't be fulfilled. Revival of pedestrian life in cities has become a major concern of architects and urban designers are which has been eliminated due to dominant focuses on motorists. Fundamental principles of urban space organization are based on the citizen needs. Since different sense level of each group (pedestrians and motorists) are involved, the exploration and explanation of the factors that affect the perception of each groups, would be essential. Urban landscape is all the information in the space that can be received by the senses and will be processed by the perception. But, when the scale of the city is configured based on motorists, pedestrian ways and sidewalks in urban areas, a sense of disorientation and anonymity is produced. Architects, urban planners and designers in response to psychological needs and also the interaction between city and citizens, have proposed different ideas. However, perceptual differences between addresses (pedestrians and motorists) and regards to non-visual stimulus have not been considered adequately. The main question is how much the city spaces meet our non-visual sense. Since the most significant sense is visual sense, non-visual senses are neglected by designers. As the pedestrians step walk with a range of active senses (touch, hearing, smell, taste and sight) in the city, so it is important to concern how much the city space is tangible or how much it is audible. By attendance of the citizens in the city space, the urban scale changes and spaces are placed in front of them. So this close interaction provides a favorable context for the presence of other senses. It seems by recognizing non-visual qualities which are important in urban spaces and utilizing them in appropriately, the vitality and liveliness among pedestrians will be promoted. Besides, engaging all the senses in the perception of a space can lead to improvement in sense of place. This article considers the key role of non-visual senses on perception of citizens and also considers the differences between the perception of pedestrians and motorists via their environment and tries to express some strategies to stimulate all senses of walking people in public urban spaces. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2014