IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/sae/envirb/v53y2026i1p49-67.html

Unveiling the meaning in the image of the city: A novel approach using place reviews and large language models

Author

Listed:
  • Yihan Zhu
  • Markus Brenken
  • Filip Biljecki
  • Ye Zhang

Abstract

Kevin Lynch’s concept of imageability describes how effectively an environment evokes a mental image in an observer’s mind, which consists of three components—“identity, structure, and meaning†—with the first two being the main components to build Lynch’s cognitive map. Although imageability has significantly influenced urban design and planning, and inspired numerous subsequent research, the “meaning†component has not been clearly studied. The rise of new urban data, particularly the booming availability of reviews of urban spaces on platforms such as TripAdvisor and Google, offers a valuable opportunity to incorporate the meaning into the imageability study. By adapting several open-source algorithms, this research efficiently extracts both objective (e.g. location, number of reviews) and subjective (e.g. ratings, review text) information from the online platform, proposing a novel approach to studying the meaning component through a fine-tuned BERT model. These data and methods enable this research to capture and categorize the meaning component for describing the image of the city, using Singapore as a case study. The results show that: (1) Lynch’s cognitive mapping approach could potentially be enhanced by incorporating the meaning into the study of imageability, it could amplify the existing nodes or landmarks, and create new “nodes†. (2) The proposed “meaning patch†could add new layers to structure of the city image by representing the shared meanings of multiple places, suggesting the potential to be studied as the sixth element to extend the existing imageability framework, and open new agenda for the future studies.

Suggested Citation

  • Yihan Zhu & Markus Brenken & Filip Biljecki & Ye Zhang, 2026. "Unveiling the meaning in the image of the city: A novel approach using place reviews and large language models," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 53(1), pages 49-67, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:envirb:v:53:y:2026:i:1:p:49-67
    DOI: 10.1177/23998083251369143
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/23998083251369143
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1177/23998083251369143?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Richards, Daniel R. & Tunçer, Bige, 2018. "Using image recognition to automate assessment of cultural ecosystem services from social media photographs," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 31(PC), pages 318-325.
    2. Henry Wai-chung Yeung & Victor R. Savage, 1996. "Urban Imagery and the Main Street of the Nation: The Legibility of Orchard Road in the Eyes of Singaporeans," Urban Studies, Urban Studies Journal Limited, vol. 33(3), pages 473-494, April.
    3. Michael Batty, 2023. "A new kind of search," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 50(3), pages 575-578, March.
    4. Yang Song & Jessica Fernandez & Tong Wang, 2020. "Understanding Perceived Site Qualities and Experiences of Urban Public Spaces: A Case Study of Social Media Reviews in Bryant Park, New York City," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(19), pages 1-15, September.
    5. Chenghao Yang & Tongtong Liu, 2022. "Social Media Data in Urban Design and Landscape Research: A Comprehensive Literature Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-22, October.
    6. Wei, Di & Wang, Yuan & Jiang, Yuxiao & Guan, Xueqing & Lu, Yi, 2024. "Deciphering the effect of user-generated content on park visitation: A comparative study of nine Chinese cities in the Pearl River Delta," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 144(C).
    7. Matthew Carmona, 2019. "Place value: place quality and its impact on health, social, economic and environmental outcomes," Journal of Urban Design, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 24(1), pages 1-48, January.
    8. Donald Appleyard, 1980. "Livable Streets: Protected Neighborhoods?," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 451(1), pages 106-117, September.
    9. Junfeng Jiao & Michael Holmes & Greg P. Griffin, 2018. "Revisiting Image of the City in Cyberspace: Analysis of Spatial Twitter Messages During a Special Event," Journal of Urban Technology, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(3), pages 65-82, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Rasha A. Moussa, 2025. "Humanization of Street Median Islands: Utilizing Pedestrian Quality Needs Indicators for Saudi Urban Transformation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(4), pages 1-30, February.
    2. Hongxu Guo & Zhuoqiao Luo & Mengtian Li & Shumin Kong & Haiyan Jiang, 2022. "A Literature Review of Big Data-Based Urban Park Research in Visitor Dimension," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-17, June.
    3. Ruochen Ma & Katsunori Furuya, 2024. "Social Media Image and Computer Vision Method Application in Landscape Studies: A Systematic Literature Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 13(2), pages 1-22, February.
    4. Chenghao Yang & Tongtong Liu, 2022. "Social Media Data in Urban Design and Landscape Research: A Comprehensive Literature Review," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-22, October.
    5. Jing Jing, 2022. "Seeing Streetscapes as Social Infrastructure: A Paradigmatic Case Study of Hornsbergs Strand, Stockholm," Urban Planning, Cogitatio Press, vol. 7(4), pages 510-522.
    6. Agnieszka Jaszczak & Ewelina Pochodyła & Katarina Kristianova & Natalia Małkowska & Jan K. Kazak, 2021. "Redefinition of Park Design Criteria as a Result of Analysis of Well-Being and Soundscape: The Case Study of the Kortowo Park (Poland)," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(6), pages 1-22, March.
    7. Bartzokas-Tsiompras, Alexandros & Bakogiannis, Efthimios & Nikitas, Alexandros, 2023. "Global microscale walkability ratings and rankings: A novel composite indicator for 59 European city centres," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 111(C).
    8. Yang Yang & Ruizhen He & Guohang Tian & Zhen Shi & Xinyu Wang & Albert Fekete, 2022. "Equity Study on Urban Park Accessibility Based on Improved 2SFCA Method in Zhengzhou, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-17, November.
    9. Shuli Luo & Sylvia Y. He & Linqi Song & Sisi Jian & Yepeng Yao, 2026. "Exploring the potential of large language models (LLMs) in analyzing passengers’ perceptions of transit service quality," Environment and Planning B, , vol. 53(1), pages 90-106, January.
    10. Mouratidis, Kostas, 2019. "Built environment and leisure satisfaction: The role of commute time, social interaction, and active travel," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    11. Kaiser, Nina N. & Ghermandi, Andrea & Feld, Christian K. & Hershkovitz, Yaron & Palt, Martin & Stoll, Stefan, 2021. "Societal benefits of river restoration – Implications from social media analysis," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 50(C).
    12. Dalit Shach-Pinsly & Hadas Shadar, 2024. "The Public Open Space Quality in a Rural Village and an Urban Neighborhood: A Re-Examination after Decades," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(18), pages 1-20, September.
    13. Chen, Song & Wang, Xiyue & Liu, Tianming & Xie, Mingwei & Lin, Qing, 2025. "Using geo-data and social media images to explore the supply and demand of cultural ecosystem services for terraces in China," Ecosystem Services, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    14. Kathleen L. Andereck & Christine A. Vogt, 2025. "Effect of Community Place Qualities on Place Value in a Destination," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-19, May.
    15. Rasha A. Moussa, 2023. "A Responsive Approach for Designing Shared Urban Spaces in Tourist Villages," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(9), pages 1-27, May.
    16. Qureshi, Salman & Tarashkar, Mahsa & Matloobi, Mansour & Wang, Zhifang & Rahimi, Akbar, 2022. "Understanding the dynamics of urban horticulture by socially-oriented practices and populace perception: Seeking future outlook through a comprehensive review," Land Use Policy, Elsevier, vol. 122(C).
    17. Bas, Javier & Al-Khasawneh, Mohammad B. & Erdoğan, Sevgi & Cirillo, Cinzia, 2023. "How the design of Complete Streets affects mode choice: Understanding the behavioral responses to the level of traffic stress," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 173(C).
    18. Howayda Al-Harithy & Batoul Yassine, 2023. "The Co-Production of a Shared Community Space in Al-Khodor, Karantina, in the Aftermath of the Beirut Port Blast," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-19, July.
    19. Johan Colding & Karl Samuelsson & Lars Marcus & Åsa Gren & Ann Legeby & Meta Berghauser Pont & Stephan Barthel, 2022. "Frontiers in Social–Ecological Urbanism," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(6), pages 1-18, June.
    20. Boeing, Geoff & Riggs, William, 2022. "Converting One-Way Streets to Two-Way Streets to Improve Transportation Network Efficiency and Reduce Vehicle Distance Traveled," SocArXiv fyhbc, Center for Open Science.

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:sae:envirb:v:53:y:2026:i:1:p:49-67. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: SAGE Publications (email available below). General contact details of provider: .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.