AccScience Publishing / JCAU / Volume 6 / Issue 1 / DOI: 10.36922/jcau.1879
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ORIGINAL ARTICLE

Perception of tourists and residents on the pedestrian environment of heritage cities

Yi Shi1 Yong Adilah Shamsul Harumain1* Hazrina Haja Bava2
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1 Department of Urban Regional Planning, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
2 Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Journal of Chinese Architecture and Urbanism 2024, 6(1), 1879 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.1879
Submitted: 21 September 2023 | Accepted: 28 November 2023 | Published: 5 January 2024
© 2024 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
Abstract

In China, most heritage sites are car-free destinations due to narrow roads, a result of government policy. This study examines the relationship between environmental factors and pedestrian perceptions in Gulangyu, China, among both residents and tourists. It analyses how different groups perceive the environment while walking, aiming to create a more functional walking environment that balances the needs of both groups. The study employed a quantitative approach, specifically logistic regression analysis, to examine the relationship between environmental factors and pedestrian perceptions. Statistical software, SPSS, was utilized for data analysis. The results of logistic regression analysis indicate that resident’s perceptions are significantly influenced by comfort level, lighting, building maintenance, commercial attractiveness, and historic buildings. For tourists, the four factors significantly impacting the walking experience are road cleanliness, the indicating system, building facades along the street, and walking pleasure. The study reveals that the walking perceptions of residents and tourists suggest diverse concerns and experiences of the environment due to the different purposes of walking for each group.

Keywords
Pedestrian perception
Heritage city
Walking environment
China
Funding
This paper is partially funded by the University Malaya RMF Grant (RMF0210-2021).
Conflict of interest
All authors disclosed no relevant relationships.
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Journal of Chinese Architecture and Urbanism, Electronic ISSN: 2717-5626 Published by AccScience Publishing