Differences in human perception of urban environments across multiple scales: A literature review

With the advancement of urbanization, the urban environment has become a major factor influencing human health and well-being. Human perception of urban environments not only affects individuals’ physical and mental conditions, but also influences their behaviors and lifestyle patterns, and ultimately contributes to sustainable urban development. Furthermore, existing literature indicates a notable variation in perception content across different spatial scales. To address this, the present review provides a systematic evaluation of human perception in multi-scale environments. The main contributions of this review include: (1) categorizing the typical spatial scales in urban perception research; (2) extracting the main content systems, especially in terms of environmental elements and perception content, along with their primary types; (3) constructing a logical framework to explain the differences in emphasis and associations across scales; (4) discussing research orientations shaped by the evolving digital era. The findings contribute to a deeper understanding of human perception in urban contexts and provide insights for designing more livable, equitable, and sustainable urban environments.