Spatial Cognition and the Image Space of Beijing's Residents

The author selects 10 districts of Beijing and try to investigate the cognitive maps of urban residents in Beijing by questionnaire. He get 323 cognitive maps, which are classified and counted, and as a result, correlative statistical data are obtained. Based on the above-mentioned work, the author analyzs the basic types, constitutive factors, development phases and the characteristics of differences of cognitive maps of urban residents in Beijing. The research shows that although the types of spatial cognition of Beijing's residents are similar to those of the western cities of China, they are a little different. The grades of cognitive maps are concerned with residential area, sex, educational level, income and birthplace of urban residents. The constitutive factors of cognitive maps are concerned with residential area, age, income and birthplace of urban residents, while the development phrases are concerned with sex, income and birthplace of urban residents in Beijing. The research also shows that social role and economic income level play important roles in the development phrases of spatial cognition of Beijing's urban residents. At last, the author generalizes the spatial structure of Beijing's urban image based on the location and frequency of elements recorded on the cognitive maps of urban residents, and find that it is similar to the emphases of spatial distribution of Beijing. As a result, some theories of urban image of Lynch are proved in Beijing.