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Distance Estimation in a Small-Scale Environment

Frank Brown

Manchester University School of Environment and Development

In a test of cognitive distance perception participants estimated a walk in a picturesque village to be, on average, twice as long as an equal-length journey in a city. It is unlikely that any or all of the factors at present known to influence distance perception can account for such a large difference. A small correlation between estimate size and subject's height in the village but not the city suggests that distance estimates were based on different factors in the two places and that the scale of our interaction with our environment may influence our judgment of distance. It is hypothesized that small-scale places without cars may seem much larger than expected and that space may, so to speak, be made as if out of nothing by appropriate design.

Key Words: cognitive distance perception • urban scale

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