Assessing the impact of socio-demographic factors on spatial recognition in the city of Galle

Visual perception acts as a major intellectual process which determines how people acquire and process elements of cities and their interpretations. Urban planners, along with designers, use knowledge about users' spatial perception to develop plans that enhance the clarity of space and strengthen city identity, and improve navigation. Within spatial cognition, people mentally reflect both physical structures and spatial connections as landmarks take a significant part in forming how the city appears to citizens. Different urban situations present diverse environmental features that call for an assessment of recognition patterns between diverse user groups, along with the impact of building attributes on these recognition patterns. The study examines the perception of urban landmarks in Galle city through mental representation analysis of structural features obtained from user survey data. Users of the city participated in this research to identify important landmarks they recalled while the study examined their recognition patterns according to their nationality, religion, age, gender and length of stay, and their familiarity with the city. The research combines qualitative and quantitative methods which enable investigators to evaluate how often people recall landmarks while also determining their ordering position. The research shows that user characteristics affect landmark recognition because results demonstrate substantial differences between people based on their nationality and religion and age and period of stay. This research did not show any important relationships between participant characteristics such as gender and their connection to familiar places. The combination of crowded transportation sites and noteworthy open areas together with major public buildings turned out to be the landmarks people remembered most often which illustrates how these places influence city awareness. This research highlights the importance of socio-demographic sensitivity in urban planning by analyzing user insights of landmarks. The findings help planners design accessible, memorable, and navigable cities that furnish to diverse residents.