The Urban Picturesque: An Aesthetic Experience of Urban Pedestrian Places

A major goal in contemporary urban design is to encourage pedestrian activity. Questions regarding the effectiveness of some pedestrian-oriented design proposals illustrate a need for more research in the pedestrian experience of urban places. In order to continue a constructive discussion of this topic, historically persistent, picturesque concepts of urban form were combined with recent ideas of environmental aesthetics from several disciplines in the form of a 'theory'. Once developed, the theory was explored through field studies incorporating the reactions and reflections of several individuals in a selective variety of urban settings in Dresden, Germany. The reactions and reflections were recorded through a combination of cognitive mapping and on-site interviews. The results, though limited, are supportive of some aspects of urban design aesthetics, but raise questions regarding the relationship of aesthetics and pedestrian behaviour.