Place Images Within Artificial Urban Environments in Tokyo Waterfront

Abstract

This paper investigates the actual Residents Perceived Image (RPI) of Odaiba through a Foreigner -Japanese psychological Semantic Differential survey. Five image dimensions were discovered "Place Location, Milieu, Human Activities, Built environment, and Context". Results show that Odaiba has multiple images through extracting six RPI patterns; (Unique, Reachable, and Walkable), (Assorted and Global), (Homogenous and Accessible), (Peaceful and Calm), (Disturbing and Inconvenient), and (Festive and Crowded). Odaiba's perceived elements were studied in relation to these patterns. Japanese residents tend to care more about the situation, livability, and place's style, while Foreigners care about its location, accessibility, diversity, and performance. (RPI) RPIA place's physical appearance is not the only criterion that determines its image, but this image is a resultant of a mixture of people's perception, impressions, and experiences through their involvement with the physical built environment. This comprehensive process is believed to form the general term; Identity. In which Identity is; "The characteristic that allows us to differentiate one place from another" 1) . According to the type of receivers and users, cities and places tend to have multiple identities 2) . Maki et al. 3) also believed that understanding the city consists of two different layers: the visible image or the one caused by the physical built environment and the intangible image that is hidden under the first one. In another word, this intangible image is entitled by the authors as "The Actual Perceived Image" based on every day's involvement and interaction with the place by its residents and accordingly introducing the construct: Residents Perceived Image (RPI). This paper sheds the light on the collective image's psychological analysis from the perspective of diverse types of users living in Odaiba through exploring the different RPI patterns generated from the same place. However, linking this intangible image perception with the main physical structuring elements of the place leads to a comprehensive clear understanding of the place's image, which is considered the study's main contribution.Rem Koolhaas stated that in the "globalized domain of international architectural practice mega-scale projects" designed by architects are