A Study on the Visual Perception and Emotional Differences of Urban Residents Towards Urban Spatial Elements from the Perspective of Xiangchou—An Analysis of Xiaoyaojin Park in Hefei

With the acceleration of urbanization, the surge in urban population led to disorder in urban characteristics and appearance, triggering a conflict between Xiangchou and rapid urbanization. This study selected Xiaoyaojin Park in Hefei as a case study and, based on Kevin Lynch’s “Image of the City” theory, divided urban spatial elements into five categories: Paths, Edges, Districts, Nodes, and Landmarks. By using eye-tracking technology, this study compared and analyzed the visual preferences of local students in Hefei (Xiangchou) and non-local students (non-Xiangchou) for urban elements, and explored the elements that carried Xiangchou through semi-structured interviews. This research found that there were significant differences in visual behavior between the two groups, with the non-Xiangchou group spending more time looking at edge elements, while the Xiangchou group showed more pronounced visual differences concerning Landmarks and Nodes. Nevertheless, Landmarks served as an important carrier of Xiangchou for both groups. The findings provide a new perspective on urban renewal and transformation, emphasizing the need to start from the emotions of residents, and to embed or preserve urban memory points, in order to enhance urban recognizability.