Accessibility and Cognition: The Effect of Transport Mode on Spatial Knowledge

Abstract

Spatial behaviour and decision-making require knowledge of the urban environment, including opportunities available and the means to reach them. Thus, variations in spatial knowledge can result in radically different levels of effective accessibility, despite similar locations, demographics and other factors commonly thought to influence travel behaviour. Cognitive maps, which develop primarily through wayfinding and travel experience, are individuals' repositories of spatial knowledge. This paper examines whether differences in cognitive maps can be explained, in part, by variations in travel mode. Adults were surveyed in two Los Angeles neighbourhoods with relatively low auto use and high transit use. The data show that spatial knowledge does indeed vary with previous experience with travel modes.

Do modes of transportation and GPS affect cognitive maps of Londoners?

“…walking, riding a bicycle or driving a car) and passive modes (e.g. taking a bus, train, or being driven in a car).These modes can affect learning and the refinement of individuals' cognitive maps (Mondschein et al, 2009). It is hypothesized that cycling and walking generate more complete cognitive maps since, in active transport modes; people have direct interaction with their environment which aids the development of a more complete cognitive map.…”

“…Different modes of transport can have different effects on cognitive maps, for instance, a study by Hart in 1981 found that, amongst school children, 'active' travel modes including cycling and walking were stronger contributors to the development of their spatial knowledge than passive modes, for instance being passengers in a car or a school bus (Mondschein et al, 2009).…”

Correspondence between objective and perceived walking times to urban destinations: Influence of physical activity, neighbourhood walkability, and socio-demographics

“…Both types of attributes do not necessarily coincide and therefore may relate differently with physical activity behavior. For example, while objective availability of pertinent destinations in a neighborhood may be high, a person’s perceived availability can be low due to the fact that a person may not be aware of all feasible destinations in her/his neighborhood [21,22]. A decreased environmental awareness may in turn lead to a lower propensity to walk in that neighborhood, although the objective availability of destinations suggests otherwise.…”

Building a conceptual framework for determining individual differences of accessibility to tourist attractions

“…Way-finding ability. The way-finding ability of visitors is very important in terms of accessibility to resources such as tourist attractions and shopping centres (Dogu & Erkip, 2000;Kwan, 1999;Mondschein, Blumenberg, & Taylor, 2008;Walmsley & Jenkins, 1992). Way-finding has two major components: decision making and physical movement.…”