The ınfluence of commercial sign design and space invasion on environmental aesthetic evaluatıons of commercial streets: an emprical study using virtual environments

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The location and color of commercial signs and the way they come together causes visual pollution. Such kind of visual pollution is common on most of the commercial streets in Turkish cities. Yet, it is necessary to highlight the main causes of visual pollution and the influence of visual pollution on people’s behavior via empirical studies. This study aims to investigate how commercial street design with precautions to prevent visual pollution influences people’s environmental aesthetic evaluations and preference to shop. Eight commercial streets were developed with a three-dimensional computer-modeling program (Google Sketch Up). The virtual environments differ on three physical features: (1) color coherence of commercial signs (single versus multiple color commercial signs), (2) presence of sun blinds on building facades, (3) presence of pop-up cafes and displays on the sidewalks. Thirty six students (27 females, 9 males) studying at Dokuz Eylul University City and Regional Planning Department volunteered to participate in the study. Their age varied between 20-26. Participants evaluated each commercial street on coherence, complexity, liking and preference for shopping. Results showed that among three physical features (color coherence of commercial signs, presence of sun blinds and presence of pop-up cafes and displays) that could be manipulated to diminish visual pollution, color coherence of commercial signs was the most influential one on people’s aesthetic evaluations and preference to shop on specific street.

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environmental psychology , virtual environments , aesthetic evaluation , commercial street design.

Erciyes University Journal Of The Institute Of Science an‎d Technology

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Erciyes University Journal Of The Institute Of Science an‎d Technology