The Neuro-Cognitive Approach to Urban Planning: Wayfinding Behavior Analysis and its Effect on Urban Planning

Abstract

This study analyzed the urban wayfinding of people. A virtual city was designed for the study. A total of 712 people (358 men and 354 women) participated in the project. The virtual reality (VR) system allowed participants to navigate the virtual city. An electroencephalography (EEG) device was employed to measure the brain waves of participants during their wayfinding action, while eye-tracking (ET) devices were used to determine where the participants were looking. In addition, software developed for this study was used to determine the amount of time participants spent in certain parts of the city. Much more data were obtained by using different analysis techniques. In the study, the narrow streets negatively affected people's wayfinding behavior, while it was also found that the participants had difficulty finding their way around high buildings. In addition, people found wayfinding easy in wide streets. It is thought that the study will bring a different dimension to both urban design and architectural design disciplines.