This paper discusses the issue of non-visual design features of public parks which are received by non-visual senses, i.e., hearing, touch, smell and taste. Giving the priority to the sense of sight and neglecting the other senses in the design of such places prevents the users from the full perception and enjoyment of their different features and merits. This issue becomes more problematic in the case of visually impaired users, who depend mainly on non-visual senses in their perception of the surroundings. The aim of this research is to formulate a methodology to detect and evaluate non-visual sensory stimuli in the existing public parks. The proposed methodology is divided into four categories according to the number of non-visual senses and includes four evaluation criteria: The first criterion focuses on assessing the degree of diversity of sensory stimuli in each part of the park; the second determines the degree of differentiation in sensory identity between these parts; the third specifies the role of sensory stimuli in facilitating the movement of users within the park and the fourth indicates the level of suitability and appropriateness of such stimuli. A survey was conducted to estimate the relative weight of each criterion, Then, the methodology was applied to the case of Al-Azhar Park in Cairo to evaluate the efficacy of its non-visual features. A practical experiment was conducted after the evaluation with the help of a group of volunteers to verify the concluded results and check the applicability of the proposed methodology. |
