PROGRESS IN GEOGRAPHY ›› 2010, Vol. 29 ›› Issue (10): 1185-1192.doi: 10.11820/dlkxjz.2010.10.005

• Original Articles • Previous Articles     Next Articles

The Characteristics of Urban Spatial Cognitive Distortion in Beijing

WANG Maojun1, SU Haiwei2, HUO Tingting1   

  1. 1. Institute of Resource Environment &Tourism, Capital Normal University, Beijing 100048, China;
    2. China Academy of Urban Planning &|Design, Beijing 100044, China
  • Online:2010-10-25 Published:2010-10-25

Abstract:

This article analyzes the spatial cognitive distortion of Beijing residents, and emphatically discusses the systematic distortion and the characteristics of it, in the way of BR and standard deviational ellipse. Three conclusions were obtained as follows: Firstly, the cognition of the informants in the investigated places is clockwise centripetal convergency, presenting the magnet effect, the urban spatial cognition of Beijing residents is clear; the cognitive distortion in the center is smaller than the outlying areas. This can be well explained by urban central attraction of reward hypothesis. Tian'anmen has the core effect of organizing urban spatial cognition of Beijing. Secondly, the systematic distortion in Beijing urban space is smaller, and the regular annular traffic makes the residents’cognition datum lines, leading to a high similarity of topological structure and a distortion effect with small deflection angles, and reflecting the distinct characteristic of Beijing urban spatial structure. Thirdly, in the investigated places of Beijing city, the difference of location cognition is significant. The convergency of outlying areas is smaller than that of the town center, and the convergency in places far away from annular traffic is smaller than that near the annular traffic. The suburbs are more obvious than the town center, suggesting that the places near the annular traffic have more obvious convergency.

Key words: absolute distortion, BR method, standard deviational ellipse, systematic distortion, cognitive map