Cognitive Maps and Urban Form

Abstract

This article presents research confirming the generalizability of previous research on urban form and memory for buildings. Additional structural characteristics, including landscaping and unique architectual style, enhance memory for buildings above and beyond the original features developed by Appleyard. It is also shown that elderly residents use some of the same physical features as younger adults to remember buildings but rely more heavily on historical cues and ease of pedestrian access as salient building characteristics. Finally, memory for the location of structures as a function of physical and sociocultural features is examined for the first time in the literature. Different structural features influence location memory than influence verbal memory for buildings.