Modern Urban Design: From Cue Approach to Practical Optical Illusions

Authors
Amir Shakibamanesh
Amir Shakibamanesh
Mehran Alalhesabi 1
Mostafa Behzadfar 2
1 Assistant professor of Urban Design, Department of Urban Planning and Design, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Studies, Science and Technology University, Tehran
2 Professor of Urban Design, Department of Urban Planning and Design, Faculty of Architecture and Urban Studies, Science and Technology University, Tehran
Abstract
Different people have different perceptions of physical space where movement and rest occur. In this regard, perception of three-dimensional space from the point of view of stationary and moving observers can be analyzed from different perspectives including the observer's favorable or unfavorable perception, persistency and recall capability of the perceived space, the influence of different design variables on the perception, etc. But one of the most important issues which has not attracted due attention in this area and will form the subject of the present study is that of deliberate distortions in the "perception of subjective depth and distance" of a path or space. Indeed, by using the perception of depth and distance and the deliberate distortions in the field of urban design, designers will be able to change this perception experience via informed arrangement of spatial qualities as appropriate in line with the overall design objectives. This way, they can represent a route as shorter or longer than its actual conditions in the minds of observers and users of space. In this paper, among various theoretical approaches about the human visual system function in relation to the perception of depth and distance, cue approach is discussed due to greater emphasis given to it in scientific literature published in recent years as well as its comprehensive theoretical perspective. Based on this approach, in the first part of this article, an attempt has been made to review and analyze the most significant components affecting the perception of depth and distance using a scientific approach via urban design perspective. These components can be integrated or reduced in order to directly control the relative amount of depth and distance perception in the physical space. In the second part, deliberate distortions and their application in design of physical-spatial structures of urban environment in a practical approach are discussed. Upon on the purpose of the study it is based on applied research. Due to complexity of depth and distance perception, we used the combination of exploratory and descriptive-analytical research as the methodology. Keywords: Urban Design, Perceptual Depth and Distance, Cue Approach, Deliberate Distortions, Practical Optical Illusions

Keywords

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