Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

• ali asadpour ¹
• Paria Barzegar
• Niloufar Keshavarzi ²

¹ Head of Interior Architecture Department, Shiraz University of Art

² M.Sc. Student in Architecture

Abstract

Attention to the users is one of the main factors in successful architectural design. Therefore, for successful urban design with which all age groups can interact, it is necessary to know enough about each of them. For example, the mental and physical scale of children is different from adults. As a result, design requirements for them are also distinct from other age groups. However, this issue has been underestimated in today’s urban design in Iran. Accordingly, the first step to find out design principles is to identify the factors which are considered by children. In other words, their mental image should be investigated because it is the result of a two-way communication between the observer and the environment. It is through this interaction that the observer selects, organizes and gives meaning to what he/she sees. The purpose of this paper is, thus, to identify physical (elements and components) and non-physical (behaviors, events, memories) factors effective on 5-7 years old children’s mental image of Shiraz urban streetscape. It should be noted that the choice of the street is due to the fact that it is the first and most important site in people’s relationship with the city. In this research, mental images were obtained through the sketch map (children drawings) technique. The statistical population of the research consisted of 111 children selected out of 257 children aged 5 to 7 years in District 1 of Shiraz (based on field visits in 2016). A total of 118 drawings were collected by this method. In addition to descriptive analysis, they were analyzed through exploratory factor analysis in SPSS 22. Children’s drawings were examined from three dimensions in consultation with their teachers: a) in terms of drawing elements; b) in terms of color variation and the level of details drawn by the child; and finally c) the level of exaggeration in the drawing of the elements. The results indicate that sex has no meaningful correlation with the type of drawings and their content. Therefore, sex was removed as a factor of analysis. The most frequently drawn physical elements on the street (fixed and movable) are cars, street linings and traffic lights which were drawn with exaggeration in 27% of the cases. Short and tall buildings were also seen in the drawings as part of the physical elements defining the streetscape. In addition to these, the sky-related elements (e.g. cloud, sun and rain), natural elements (e.g. green space, mountains, living creatures and humans) and even events (e.g. accidents, respecting the rules, playing, etc.) were an inseparable part in children’s drawings. The streets drawn by children were without color variation or lots of detail. This could indicate lower color variation of current streets. The children in this study referred to a combination of natural elements and games as the main factor in their mental image of the street. The subsequent factors included street regulations, the sky, street structure, city landscape and intersection structure which were extracted from factor analysis.  

Keywords

• Mental Image
• Sketch Maps
• Streetscape
• Nature
• Sky

Main Subjects

• Urban Scape