Pedestrian itinerary choice: between multi-sensory, affective and syntactic aspects of the street pattern in the historic quarter of Bejaia, Algeria

Abstract

Consideration of the five senses and emotions is not well explored in the urban environment. Different fields deal with the influence of the physical environment on human experience. However, the role of the multi-sensory experience and affectivity in selecting the itinerary for pedestrian mobility is not yet well studied. Several methods have been proposed to evaluate the correlation between pedestrian movement and the environmental configuration, where the visual parameter is the main determinant. Given that other senses could be used to select any itinerary, since the urban environment is perceived at a multisensory level, the aim of the present study is to investigate the relationship between people’s multisensory experience and their navigation in an urban environment in terms of itinerary choice. This study is carried out on the streets linking the city centre to the seafront in Bejaia, Algeria. The investigation was based on qualitative and quantitative methods. The former consists of the organised walk with running commentary technique. The latter consisted of a syntactic analysis of the street pattern. The results show that people choose their itinerary not only on the visual aspect created by the spatial configuration, but also on several variables related to the affectivity and multi-sensory experiences of the urban environment. The findings will be discussed with regard to their usefulness for the design and development of urban publics spaces.