Recognizing the Factors Influencing Citizens' Visual Perception of Urban Spaces (Case Study: Hafez Historical Axis of Shiraz)

Urban spaces as one of the most important urban design products will achieve their goals once they are accepted by their users. This is in the group of citizens' space perception and then the interaction between them and space based on this perception. Hafez historic axis of Shiraz, was an integral part of shiraz spatial and functional structure. It has now undergone significant changes due to new construction and changes in city urban landscape. This has shaken the place of this historical axis, and its especially effect the citizens' visual perception of it, despite the presence of important city landmarks and symbols such as the Jahan-Nama Garden, the Tomb of Ali Ibn Hamzeh (AS), and others like that. The aim of this study is to identify the factors affecting citizens' visual perception and propose strategies to enhance their perception of the Hafez axis as a whole. This is an applied research and its method is "correlation". Data collection was done through a questionnaire, documentary and library studies. Based on theoretical foundations and basic analytical model of the research, a questionnaire was developed on the Likert scale. Its reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha test and then the data were analyzed by exploratory factor analysis technic in SPSS 24 software. The results indicate that 12 factors have the most impact on the citizens' perception of urban space. The first three factors are as follows: A) Sidewalk and its components, B) Uses and activities, C) Personal attribute.