Spatial orientation in the urban space in relation to landscape architecture

Abstract

The need of individuals to identify with the environment and the ability to create a schematic isometric image of their surroundings are essential factors aff ecting participation in social relations. Spatial orientation in itself refl ects the ability of people to read complex urban space and identify with the place. The presented work studies spatial orientation in the urban space in the context of landscape design. It analyses and searches for opportunities to apply instruments of a landscape architect as a means of improving spatial orientation and readability of the city. The study makes a synthesis of all the data obtained from the environment model. The methodology of work includes sections of a professional urban view combined with mental mapping of current users of the urban space. The total synthesis was preceded by an intermediate stage of classifi cation which was a comparison of the mental map with the reality in order to obtain "memorable" elements in the urban space, in which it was fundamental to see which entity the communication partner drew fi rst and what entity it is in terms of spatial urban structure. Another parameter was the frequency of occurrence method. The presented study responds to this strong spatial anchoring of the memorable orientation entity by defi ning the landscape element and this is supplemented by the aspect of spatial orientation. The landscape element is defi ned on the basis of the evolution parkway-greenway→ greenfi ndingway. Its substantiation is multiplied not only from the aspect of spatial economy but also in correlation to the dynamic recreational pattern, psychological well-being or the preference of sustainable mobility. The fi nal document of the study in the form of the so-called wayfi nding map has the potential of a foundation material which can be applied to strategic and urban designing as a sum of unbiased data in correlation to involvement of the public into the process of creating the urban space. © 2014 International Newsletters Ltd.