Wayfinding in historical urban landscapes: unraveling the spatial-behavioral dynamics in Eskisehir’s Odunpazari

This study explores the interplay between route planning and wayfinding in Eskisehir Odunpazari’s historical landscape, focusing on the influence of spatial configuration and familiarity on navigation strategies. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research contrasts familiar and unfamiliar particip...

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Main Authors: Elif Celik, Ozge Ceylin Yildirim
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2025-04-01
Series:Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering
Subjects:
Online Access:http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2025.2490298
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author Elif Celik
Ozge Ceylin Yildirim
author_facet Elif Celik
Ozge Ceylin Yildirim
author_sort Elif Celik
collection DOAJ
description This study explores the interplay between route planning and wayfinding in Eskisehir Odunpazari’s historical landscape, focusing on the influence of spatial configuration and familiarity on navigation strategies. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research contrasts familiar and unfamiliar participants’ experiences. First, space syntax and urban spatial analysis describe the physical layout. Following this, surveys and cognitive mapping tasks assess participant behavior. Findings indicate that locals wayfinding using established knowledge and landmarks, often taking shortcuts that reflect their complex urban awareness, while visitors rely on prominent landmarks and social spaces for orientation. Notably, all participants show a reliance on landmarks, with visibility and spatial complexity impacting navigation efficiency across groups. However, the study’s scope is limited, examining only one historical landscape and involving a small sample size, which may introduce subjective biases due to reliance on self-reported data and cognitive maps. This research provides valuable insights into wayfinding differences between locals and visitors in a historical context. By integrating spatial and behavioral analyses, it emphasizes the importance of designing urban landscapes that cater to both local and visitor needs, offering potential applications for urban planning and conservation strategies aimed at improving wayfinding in heritage sites.
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spelling doaj-art-57f4a7d10ceb4e01bc387a2e7f42b2a02025-08-20T02:30:43ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering1347-28522025-04-010012010.1080/13467581.2025.24902982490298Wayfinding in historical urban landscapes: unraveling the spatial-behavioral dynamics in Eskisehir’s OdunpazariElif Celik0Ozge Ceylin Yildirim1Yildiz Technical UniversityYildiz Technical UniversityThis study explores the interplay between route planning and wayfinding in Eskisehir Odunpazari’s historical landscape, focusing on the influence of spatial configuration and familiarity on navigation strategies. Using a mixed-methods approach, the research contrasts familiar and unfamiliar participants’ experiences. First, space syntax and urban spatial analysis describe the physical layout. Following this, surveys and cognitive mapping tasks assess participant behavior. Findings indicate that locals wayfinding using established knowledge and landmarks, often taking shortcuts that reflect their complex urban awareness, while visitors rely on prominent landmarks and social spaces for orientation. Notably, all participants show a reliance on landmarks, with visibility and spatial complexity impacting navigation efficiency across groups. However, the study’s scope is limited, examining only one historical landscape and involving a small sample size, which may introduce subjective biases due to reliance on self-reported data and cognitive maps. This research provides valuable insights into wayfinding differences between locals and visitors in a historical context. By integrating spatial and behavioral analyses, it emphasizes the importance of designing urban landscapes that cater to both local and visitor needs, offering potential applications for urban planning and conservation strategies aimed at improving wayfinding in heritage sites.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2025.2490298wayfinding behaviorsspatial configurationcognitive mappinghistorical urban landscapefamiliarity
spellingShingle Elif Celik
Ozge Ceylin Yildirim
Wayfinding in historical urban landscapes: unraveling the spatial-behavioral dynamics in Eskisehir’s Odunpazari
Journal of Asian Architecture and Building Engineering
wayfinding behaviors
spatial configuration
cognitive mapping
historical urban landscape
familiarity
title Wayfinding in historical urban landscapes: unraveling the spatial-behavioral dynamics in Eskisehir’s Odunpazari
title_full Wayfinding in historical urban landscapes: unraveling the spatial-behavioral dynamics in Eskisehir’s Odunpazari
title_fullStr Wayfinding in historical urban landscapes: unraveling the spatial-behavioral dynamics in Eskisehir’s Odunpazari
title_full_unstemmed Wayfinding in historical urban landscapes: unraveling the spatial-behavioral dynamics in Eskisehir’s Odunpazari
title_short Wayfinding in historical urban landscapes: unraveling the spatial-behavioral dynamics in Eskisehir’s Odunpazari
title_sort wayfinding in historical urban landscapes unraveling the spatial behavioral dynamics in eskisehir s odunpazari
topic wayfinding behaviors
spatial configuration
cognitive mapping
historical urban landscape
familiarity
url http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13467581.2025.2490298
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