Integrating Human Perception into Transportation Planning: A GIS-Based Emotional Mapping and Spatial Cognition Analysis of Meherpur District, Bangladesh
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Keywords
Emotional Mapping, Spatial Cognition, Human Perception, Transportation Planning, GIS, Gestalt Theory, Structuralism, Meherpur District
Abstract
Transportation planning traditionally relies on quantitative measures such as traffic volumes, travel demand, and network performance. Although these approaches provide essential technical insights, they often fail to capture how people perceive and experience urban space. This study explores the role of human perception in transportation planning through emotional mapping and spatial cognition analysis in Meherpur District, Bangladesh. A total of 313 newspaper-reported incidents from 2019–2024 were georeferenced and classified into seven emotional categories: anger, happiness, love, sadness, disgust, fear, and surprise. Sixteen participants interpreted the spatial distribution of these emotion points and developed perception-based spatial patterns. The resulting maps were digitized and analyzed using GIS overlay techniques to identify collective perception structures. The findings reveal the emergence of common cognitive nodes, perception corridors, and high-consensus spatial zones despite individual differences in interpretation. Comparison with the proposed Circular Road alignment demonstrates a notable correspondence between collective perception patterns and planned transportation infrastructure. The study highlights the potential of integrating emotional geography and spatial cognition into transportation planning to support more human-centered and socially responsive decision-making.
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