Recognizing the role of mental perception in urban structure definition

An Urban Planners as someone who deals with the body of the city, has to notice the observer and external factors affecting him, as well as images of the environment made in his mind .Receiving the images from different environments by people with different conditions (in terms of age, gender, culture, attitude...) is sometimes difficult and sometimes easy; but there are several similarities among mental images of people. These common similar images are indeed the result of public consensus on the importance of specific image. And this is common mental image that attracts the attention of urban planner; because the environment that urban planner creates would be used by many people. Accordingly, common mental image of people must be considered to achieve city structure. The elements and relationships of the spatial structure of the city are recognized by extracting the elements got important in common mental image of people. Urban designer can be effective on the objectivity that is created by this mental image to enhance the quality of the city structure .According to Gordon Cullen, designer can strengthen the stages of mental image formation (perception and recognition) by manipulating city structure and also creates a sense of place. It has been tried in the present thesis to recognize the structure of historic fabric of Kerman city by using mental image of Kerman people and also attempt to form a clear mental image from city structure and promote the quality and strengthen the sense of place by suing mental perceptions of residents.