Identifying the Elements Affecting the Legibility of Residents in the Historical-Central Context of Tabriz City Using Cognitive Techniques

Cities, as the primary habitat of humans, are constantly evolving. These changes can sometimes harm the identity and legibility of cities, especially in historical contexts that carry cultural and social values. Uncontrolled and inconsistent development in Iranian cities is a growing concern that leads to the illegibility of historical places for pedestrians and the fading of their mental image of these places. This issue also leads to a sense of alienation and lack of belonging in contemporary environments. Urban legibility, as one of the key concepts in urban planning, refers to the ability of individuals to understand and recognize the urban environment. A legible environment is one that is easily recognizable and memorable, and allows people to easily navigate and find their way. This concept was introduced by Kevin Lynch in the 1960s, and he identified five elements: paths, edges, nodes, landmarks, and districts as the main elements of legibility. Therefore, it is emphasized that the form of the city is considered as a means and a field of communication that allows information to be transmitted to us so that the urban planner can be significantly effective in realizing a more meaningful environment by taking into account the results of these studies and creating compatible and harmonious forms. The historical context of Tabriz, as one of the most valuable historical textures in Iran, has undergone many physical changes in recent years. These changes have raised concerns about preserving the identity and legibility of this context. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of identifying the elements of legibility in the historical-central context of Tabriz and examining their impact on the mental image of the residents. This research was conducted with a mixed (qualitative and quantitative) approach. In the qualitative section, the method of drawing a cognitive map was used to examine the mental image of the residents of the historical context. 50 residents of the central part of Tabriz were selected in a cluster sampling method and asked to draw their mental map of the historical context. The drawn maps were analyzed based on Lynch's typology of cognitive elements (paths, edges, nodes, landmarks, and districts). In the quantitative section, a descriptive-analytical method using a questionnaire was used to measure the importance of each of the readability elements in the historical context. The questionnaire was designed based on the Likert scale and its reliability was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (84%). The collected data were analyzed using SPSS software and linear regression test. The findings of the qualitative section showed that the participants mentioned a total of 26 elements in their cognitive maps. The majority of participants identified high-activity places, squares and transportation nodes, which were mostly close to the city center. This shows that nodes, as strategic points in the city, play an important role in the legibility and mental image of residents. The least mentioned elements by the participants included Takieh Haidar, gateway, airport and Sahand mountain, most of which are among the landmark components in the classification of readability elements. The findings of the quantitative section also showed that the most important element of legibility in the residents' mental recognition of the historical context is the node element. Nodes have been identified as places of stopping, staying, participating and interacting with the urban fabric due to their historical, activity-based or commercial and communication features. After the node, paths were identified as an important element in the readability of the historical context. The main and ring roads of Tabriz were recognized as nodes for attracting activity and work environment due to the influence and impact of buildings along the route and around it. Finally, landmarks had the least impact on the legibility of the historical context. The results of this research showed that legibility is one of the important features for creating a coherent environment in the historical context of Tabriz. Nodes, as the most important element of legibility, play a key role in the mental recognition and attachment of residents to the historical context. Therefore, in the reconstruction and new constructions in the historical context of Tabriz, special attention should be paid to the preservation and strengthening of nodes as a feature of place-making. Also, considering the role of paths in the legibility of the context, attention should be paid to the design and organization of pedestrian paths and main streets.