Evaluation of the relationship between urban aesthetics preference and measurable design factors in street vistas: New York city case

The aim of this study is to determine measurable design factors through street vista and street plans, using mathematically approach, to quantify the relationship between these factors and the aesthetic preference of individuals, then confirming the design factors that increase the aesthetic preference in the streets vistas. For this purpose, first of all, measurable design factors were determined in street vista and street plan based on the literature. Complexity in street vistas, homogeneity/heterogeneity level in street vista, landscape, building facade density, level of openness/closure in street vista, light/shadow level of street vistas and, in the street plan, scale compatibility of buildings, density of buildings, occupancy-vacancy ratio, complexity level and homogeneity in the street plan were determined as measurable design factors. In the study, inquiries were made on 40 street vistas and plans selected from four different regions (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and Bronx) from New York City. The sampling reason for New York City streets was the diversity of street vistas. The study consisted of three stages. In the first stage, measurable design factors on street vistas and street plans were evaluated using mathematical methods such as fractal geometry, lacunarity and image statistical analysis (ISA). In the second stage, aesthetic preference was evaluated on street images. In the third stage, the data obtained from the first and second stages were interrogated with correlation analysis and then concentrated on determining the measurable design factors that affect the aesthetic preference. As a result of the study, it was determined that the landscape density in the street vista, the complexity above the medium level, the complexity of the silhouette line increase the aesthetic preference, the complexity below the medium level, the building facade density, the decrease in the light-shadow level and the increase in the open - closure ratio have negative effects on the aesthetic preference. In the street plan, it has been determined that the building scale harmony, complexity and landscape density positively affect the aesthetic preference of the street vistas. The results of the study clearly revealed that fractal analysis, lacunarity and ISA methods are important tools in evaluating the visual aesthetic quality of streets, and the use of these tools can determine the design principles and criteria that increase the visual aesthetic quality of urban spaces.