Empirical study of the mental representation of the image of the city (on the example of Kazan and Naberezhnye Chelny)

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to identify the formed image of the territory in the perception of its inhabitants, using empirical research data for this. The main results of the study are that a comprehensive analysis of the mental representation of the urban space was carried out, on the basis of which the key elements of the image of the territory, the boundaries of the vernacular districts of the city, their urbanonymy were identified, as well as the significant role of urban open public spaces in the formation of the image of the territory. The authors come to the conclusion about the peculiarities of building images of cities, centered on symbolically significant elements and spaces that act as anchors for forming the image of a city in the perception of residents, attaching the population to the territory and constructing local identity.

Kyiv metro and urban imageability: a student youth vision

“…In this way, the form of transportation around the city has a significant impact on the image of the city, and the mental map of Kyiv is significantly different from the mental maps of cities without subway/metro system like Szczecin, where the most prominent nodes are squares as transport hubs and public spaces (Osóch and Czaplińska 2019), or Konya, where tram stops were marked by the students as nodes (Topcu and Topcu 2021). At the same time, in the case of Kazan, the role of metro system seems to be not so brilliant feature of the mental maps comparing to Kyiv, although some stations do play a role of most prominent nodes (Latypova et al 2021).…”