Environment Behavior Studies of Intelligibility of Urban Environment for "Foreign" People

本研究调查了外国人在日常生活环境中的寻路行为以及大坂车站作为大型综合航站楼的寻路行为，并探讨了在形成多元文化环境方面的城市空间设计改进。研究结果如下：1.通过对20例外国人的访谈，描述了他们在日常生活中获取信息的特点和/或困难.在大坂航站区，对标志、地图和信息亭的分布和内容进行了实地调查，结果表明，在信息障碍方面存在许多缺点和问题，这不仅是由于语言问题，也是由于这些环境信息辅助设备的安装方式不系统造成的。在大坂终端区，58例外国人和53例日本人作为对照组的寻路行为进行了单独跟踪和采访，如果可能的话。两组在迷路频率、超程行走距离和行走速度方面差异较大。这些现象主要是由于语言问题以及社会文化对日本大型航站楼作为一个功能和空间复杂的建筑物的空间结构的误解。

This study investigated the wayfinding behavior of foreign people in their daily life surroundings and at the Osaka station area as a large complex terminal, and then discussed some design improvements of urban spaces in regards to forming multicultural environments. The results are as follows;1. The features and/or difficulties of information acquisition during daily lives about twenty cases by foreign people were described by interview with sketch.2. At the Osaka terminal area, the field survey about distributions and contents of signs, maps and information booths as well showed that there were many disadvantages and problems in terms of information barriers which were caused by not only the language issue but also unsystematic way of installation of these environmental information aids.3. At the Osaka terminal area, the wayfinding behavior of 58 cases by foreigners and of 53 by Japanese as the contrast group were individually tracked and interviewed if possible. There were large differences between two groups in terms of frequency of lostness, exceeded walking distances and walking speed. These phenomenon were mainly due to language issue and also socio-cultural misunderstandings of spatial structure at Japanese large terminal area as a functionally and spatially complex edifice.