Wayfinding and Historical Urban Contexts: Individual vs. Collective Insights from an Italian Case Study

When building knowledge for planning and management activities, agents’ spatial cognition and interaction with urban spaces play critical roles. Wayfinding process is interactive by nature. Also, the recognition of places depends on the ability to remember them: the presence of significant elements helps easier and efficient memorization. Environmental differentiation or landmarks contribute to that, whereas difficulty is induced by their absence. However, intense characterization of spaces, as in historic centers, may complicate orientation depending on a topographical layouts’ complexity. We use an experimental approach to explore the behavior of wayfinding agents within the small but intricate historical center of Martina Franca (southern Italy). The aim is to explore elements characterizing spaces surrounding navigation and the role of orientation in agents’ decisions. The final aim is to support the spatial planning and management of complex centers. The experimentation collects in real-time agents’ feelings, opinions, points of view, and processes data with text mining and statistical methods.