A STUDY ON SPATIAL LEGIBILITY OF STREET NETWORK AROUND RAILWAY STATION

Abstract

 This study was conducted to verify the effects of some geometric factors, such as the angular direction change, the available visual information amount, the width variation of streets, and the axis deviation on street space on the continuity of the street network, to have a good legibility along the street. The main purpose of this research is to provide a classification of route types considering the legibility of street space. The experiment was conducted around the Minami Urawa Station in Saitama Prefecture. The street network in the study area was analyzed using two types of parameters, such as visibility parameters and spatial parameters. The visibility parameters were obtained through statistical calculations using visibility attributes defined through a field survey, while spatial parameters were hypothetically defined using the knowledge about the street network of the study area and referring to the literature. Both parameters were analyzed using PCA (Principal Component Analysis) and Cluster analysis to define route types.
 The results of the research clearly illustrated that there was a significant relationship between the visual characteristics of the street network and the street space legibility. Seven types of routes were classified and their attributes were clarified. These attributes affected the wayfinding behavior of the pedestrians in the study area.