Spatial city image and its formative factors: A street-based neighborhood cognition analysis

This study analyzes the formative factors of the spatial image of two urban neighborhoods in Tokyo, Japan. Cognitive maps were collected from both residents and visitors, depicting spatial domains as imagined by the names of the neighborhoods. Using street segments as spatial units of analysis, this study analyzed the factors affecting individuals' perceptions of streets. As a result, as well as boundaries such as rivers and avenues, visual landscape features that were extracted from street images had non-trivial effects on street perception. In particular, the presence of visible streetscape greenery is positively associated with the probability of streets being perceived within the neighborhoods. However, the effect sizes differ between the two neighborhoods, suggesting the need for streetscape designs according to the existing city images. The results also revealed interindividual heterogeneity in neighborhood cognition by gender, age, and familiarity with the neighborhood. While the original hypothesis was that the spatial extent of the perceived neighborhood would widen according to familiarity, the opposite result was obtained. This might explain the process of people obtaining certainty of neighborhood cognition and optimizing/fixing daily activity places according to experiences.