The spatial configuration of local climate zones reveals effects on wayfinding in human walking

perspective of physical spatial characteristics but also empirical suggestions for regional spatial planning via LCZ reconfigurations. The effects of scale in landscape metrics on spatial configu- rations quantifications and spatial planning solutions are also demonstrated. 4.1 Understanding wayfinding socially using spatial characteristics physically 4.1.1 Intelligibility-based measurements of wayfinding based on spatial coherence. Wayfinding, based on its definition, reflects the cognitive benefits derived from physical urban spaces in human movement. In environmental psychology, wayfinding is commonly seen as a subjective aspect of human walking. Using intelligibility measurement, this study offers a spa- tial configuration perspective to understand and explain the wayfinding while walking, by defining the spatial coherence between the local and the entire city. When people cognize more coherent and consistent spatial knowledge in the process of travelling through diverse urban spaces, they have a clear ‘big picture’ of the entire urban spatial configurations easily, and then their walking needs in terms of wayfinding will be better met. Empirically, intelligi- bility is quantified by the correlation between local connectivity and city accessibility [8, 48]. Both city accessibility and local connectivity exert physical demands on intelligibility-based wayfinding in human travel [49]. Planners have been motivated to improve accessibility and connectivity in urban spatial or transport planning for encouraging human physical activities

[50]. However, improving accessibility and connectivity separately may not necessarily create an easy wayfinding urban form. In our case, Foshan, Guangzhou, Dongguan, and Shenzhen have the greatest accessibility throughout the city (Fig 4), because of their socioeconomic func- tion in the whole region. However, their lower local connectivity (Fig 4) causes lower intelligi- bility values and a weaker ability for wayfinding than other cities (Fig 5). Interestingly, in Huizhou and Zhaoqing, which have the highest intelligibility values, both local connectivity and city accessibility are low (Fig 4). Therefore, better wayfinding does not always imply Fig 7. Hotspot results of patch-level metrics in LCZ types. The spatial clusters of the values of ENN in LCZ 1 (a) and LCZ 2 (b), the values of SIMI in LCZ 9 (c), and the values of ENN in LCZ D (d) among cities. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289780.g007 PLOS ONE The spatial configuration for wayfinding PLOS ONE | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0289780 September 8, 2023 12 / 18