Spatial Knowledge in Large-Scale Environments: A Preliminary Planning-Oriented Study

Strategic planning has recently focused its attention on the elements that characterize the spaces through which the agents move, paying particular attention on the way in which they incorporate them. Spatial environments are currently studied from different perspectives, from the cognitivist point of view they represent knowledge-intensive, significant spatial entities to which human agents need to relate adaptively. The way in which humans use the surrounding space is influenced by a series of implicit factors, such as perceptions, emotions, sensations. These elements, being often tacit, are difficult to identify although they strongly characterize these spaces. For this reason, these characteristics become basic for effective strategic planning at urban and regional level and for environmental decision-making processes. This study presents a method for quantitatively measuring the reactions of visitors to scenes they encounter in spaces with an extremely small population. We conducted an experiment that required participants to take photographs of elements that caught their attention in poorly structured rural areas. In this way, the photographed features and the related comments have made it possible to better grasp perceptions, sensations, emotions that can represent crucial spatial variables for structuring and interpreting spaces.