Page 33 - JCAU-6-1

Journal of Chinese

Architecture and Urbanism

ORIGINAL ARTICLE
Perception of tourists and residents on the

pedestrian environment of heritage cities

1
1
Yi Shi , Yong Adilah Shamsul Harumain *, and Hazrina Haja Bava 2
1 Department of Urban Regional Planning, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya, Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia
2 Department of Architecture, Faculty of Built Environment, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Abstract

In China, most heritage sites are car-free destinations due to narrow roads, a result
of government policy. This study examines the relationship between environmental
factors and pedestrian perceptions in Gulangyu, China, among both residents and
tourists. It analyses how different groups perceive the environment while walking,
aiming to create a more functional walking environment that balances the needs
of both groups. The study employed a quantitative approach, specifically logistic
regression analysis, to examine the relationship between environmental factors
and pedestrian perceptions. Statistical software, SPSS, was utilized for data analysis.
The results of logistic regression analysis indicate that resident’s perceptions
are significantly influenced by comfort level, lighting, building maintenance,
*Corresponding author: commercial attractiveness, and historic buildings. For tourists, the four factors
Yong Adilah Shamsul Harumain significantly impacting the walking experience are road cleanliness, the indicating
(adilah_shamsul@um.edu.my)
system, building facades along the street, and walking pleasure. The study reveals
Citation: Shi, Y., Harumain, Y.A.S., that the walking perceptions of residents and tourists suggest diverse concerns and
& Bava, H.H. (2024). Introducing experiences of the environment due to the different purposes of walking for each
Regenerative Architecture. Journal
of Chinese Architecture and group.
Urbanism, 6(1), 1879.
https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.1879
Keywords: Pedestrian perception; Heritage city; Walking environment; China
Received: September 21, 2023
Accepted: November 28, 2023
Published Online: January 5, 2024
1. Introduction
Copyright: © 2024 Author(s).
This is an open-access article The UNESCO document, “Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural
distributed under the terms of the and Natural Heritage,” defines cultural heritage sites as “works of man [humans] or the
Creative Commons Attribution-
Non-Commercial 4.0 International combined works of nature and man [humans] and areas including archeological sites
(CC BY-NC 4.0), which permits all which are of outstanding universal value from the historical, esthetic, ethnological, or
non-commercial use, distribution, anthropological point of view” (UNESCO, 1972, p. 2). World Heritage Sites encompass
and reproduction in any medium,
provided the original work is the most exceptional civilizations and contributions of various countries, regions, and
properly cited. peoples. China officially acceded to the Convention for the Protection of the World
Publisher’s Note: AccScience Cultural and Natural Heritage on December 12, 1985, and is projected to have 57
Publishing remains neutral with World Heritage sites by 2023. The protection and transmission of heritage sites involve
regard to jurisdictional claims in sustainable tourism and systems for managing and protecting heritage areas, giving
published maps and institutional
affiliations. due consideration to the crucial role of local communities in cultural heritage (Liu,
2017). Therefore, ensuring sustainable development and the conservation of tourism in

Volume 6 Issue 1 (2024) 1 https://doi.org/10.36922/jcau.1879