Perceptual dimensions of heritage canal landscapes and their impact on conservation value cognition

• Perceptual dimensions of heritage canal landscapes: supportiveness, eventfulness, nativeness, temporality, openness, tranquility. • Naturalness, temporality, openness, and tranquility in heritage canal landscapes associate with visual elements. • Supportiveness, eventfulness, and temporality enhance the cognition of conservation value. • Enhancing the Evenness of Vegetation and minimizing contemporary constructions enhance the perception of temporality, thereby underscoring the heritage conservation value. Heritage canals, as a category of cultural heritage, are not merely isolated historical monuments, but also serve as accessible public spaces and landscape corridors within cities. Therefore, the public’s perception of the heritage canal landscape directly impacts the cognition of its conservation value. This study aims to explore the perceptual dimensions of the public’s perception of heritage canal landscapes and their impact on the conservation value cognition, intending to provide references for formulating more effective cultural heritage conservation measures. Initially, a social survey was conducted with 607 participants, using panoramic images of the Grand Canal’s Tianjin section as visual stimuli to establish the perceptual dimensions of the heritage canal landscape. Subsequently, evaluations of the perceptual dimensions and conservation value cognition were collected from 49 participants through laboratory. The relationship between perceptual dimensions and visual elements, as well as the impact of perceptual dimensions on conservation value cognition, were analyzed. Principal component analysis identified 6 perceptual dimensions (eigenvalues >1), named supportiveness , eventfulness , nativeness , temporality , openness , tranquility , explaining 64.3 % of the variance. Further correlation analysis has established a significant correlation between the indices of visual elements proportion, Naturalness, and Diversity, and the dimensions of nativeness , temporality , openness , and tranquility . Moreover, the Multiple Linear Regression model showed that perceptions of supportiveness , eventfulness , and temporality significantly contribute to enhancing conservation value cognition, collectively explaining 24.7 % of the variance. Enhancing the Evenness of Vegetation and reducing contemporary constructions have augmented the perception of temporality in the composition of landscape visual elements, thereby promoting the cognition of heritage conservation value. These results not only clarify public perceptions of heritage canal landscapes but also elucidate factors influencing the public’s awareness of heritage conservation value, thereby offering effective strategies and insights for policy formulation and planning design in heritage conservation.