The role of global and local landmarks in rotations: Comparative notes in a planning perspective

Abstract

The complexity of layout and the arrangement of physical features that define the surrounding environment are still under study in urban planning, architecture and cognitive sciences. Research seems to pay greater attention to wayfinding in complex two-dimensional environments where experiencing disorientation is more common, e.g. in public buildings. The presence of curves or rotations in pathways or the presence of stairs, which structurally introduce turns, seems to compromise the stability of users' cognitive maps because it requires the overlay of both allocentric and egocentric reference systems. In this context, the role played by both local and global landmarks and their position in the layout is crucial for successful wayfinding tasks. Through large-scale pointing tasks, we seek to understand how environmental features influence disorientation and the acquisition of cognitive maps.
The performance of two groups of subjects was compared: the first group approaches the stairs directly on their path, while the second group does so after a 90° turn. The results confirm the importance of geometry as an element capable of significantly affecting the acquisition of cognitive maps and show better performance by participants in the first group.