Introducing GEOBIA to landscape imageability assessment: a multi-temporal case study of the nature reserve “Kózki”, Poland

Geographic object-based image analysis (GEOBIA) is a primary remote sensing tool utilized in land-cover mapping and change detection. Land-cover patches are the primary data source for landscape metrics and ecological indicator calculations; however, their application to visual landscape character (VLC) indicators was little investigated to date. To bridge the knowledge gap between GEOBIA and VLC, this paper puts forward the theoretical concept of using viewpoint as a landscape imageability indicator into the practice of a multi-temporal land-cover case study and explains how to interpret the indicator. The study extends the application of GEOBIA to visual landscape indicator calculations. In doing so, eight different remote sensing imageries are the object of GEOBIA, starting from a historical aerial photograph (1957) and CORONA declassified scene (1965) to contemporary (2018) UAV-delivered imagery. The multi-temporal GEOBIA-delivered land-cover patches are utilized to find the minimal isovist set of viewpoints and to calculate three imageability indicators: the number, density, and spacing of viewpoints. The calculated indicator values, viewpoint rank, and spatial arrangements allow us to describe the scale, direction, rate, and reasons for VLC changes over the analyzed 60 years of landscape evolution. We found that the case study nature reserve (“Kózki”, Poland) landscape imageability transformed from visually impressive openness to imageability due to the impression of several landscape rooms enclosed by forest walls. Our results provide proof that the number, rank, and spatial arrangement of viewpoints constitute landscape imageability measured with the proposed indicators. Discussing the method’s technical limitations, we believe that our findings contribute to a better understanding of land-cover change impact on visual landscape structure dynamics and further VLC indicator development

A democratization of urban space: gender and ethnicity in the Whitechapel Market

This article examines how the replication of familial, communal patterns from the home country is shaping public space. Combining the synergetic aspects of subjective experience with the objective measurements of the space, we study Whitechapel Market in the East End of London. We shed new light on the term public sphere, revealing two socio-spatial mechanisms: the first is an adaptation of the spatial structure—a way of the local community to create separation between females and males in the heterogeneous western public space. The second is the “invisible hands” of the females: the unobservable force that contributes to the community’s wealth and cohesion. Our findings show the capacity of a given urban form for adaptation—it creates a new public sphere, partly democratized, but still segregated. A sphere, that from one hand provides traditional gendered roles, and from another a fertile environment for social and economic prosperity

Architectural features and indoor evacuation wayfinding: The starting point matters

Effective indoor wayfinding in the event of an emergency is key to guaranteeing safe and timely evacuation. However, despite the increasing number of evacuation studies, only a limited number focus on the influence of architectural elements. Through a virtual reality experiment, we create a link between human factors in indoor emergency wayfinding and architectural design by exploring interior wall transparency, evacuation starting points, and architectural landmarks. Our findings show that wall transparency only impacts wayfinding when combined with visibility at route starting points, and that staircases and ramps are the most significant architectural landmarks in emergency wayfinding. These differ from previous studies that primarily emphasize overall visibility in a building. Additionally, in cases of more complex evacuation scenarios with low visibility conditions, wayfinding necessitates a greater number of architectural features. These findings enhance the understanding of architectural designs as complex, multi-leveled systems with numerous distinct features that evoke a set of structural relationships in emergency situations