Study of visitor flows in heritage streetscapes based on counting people using motion-image sensors. The case of Valencia Cathedral (Spain)

Abstract

[ES] Historical centres are popular places for tourist visits. The public spaces that make up these urban areas are usually characterised by being narrow streets with difficult traffic and where, on occasions, vehicular traffic is restricted in favour of pedestrian traffic. This historic streetscape, together with the concentration of visitors that usually occurs in these areas due to the presence of important heritage assets and cultural attractions, often leads to situations of physical and psychological discomfort for both residents and visitors, and can even lead to episodes of saturation and occasional congestion with the obvious undesirable consequences for the heritage elements, for the recreational experience of visitors and even for personal safety. Knowledge of the visitor carrying capacity limits of a space is very useful information for local managers when planning and managing a tourist destination, especially when it involves historic centres where the cultural attractions are heritage assets of great significance not only architecturally and artistically, but also socially. Visitor carrying capacity studies make it possible to determine the suitability, size and way in which heritage elements and public spaces can accommodate a given number of people. It is therefore an extremely useful predictive tool. However, as these are highly dynamic spaces, it is necessary to have constant and updated information that allows decisions to be taken even in real time. This work is based on the quantitative analysis and behavioural patterns of visitor flows in the surroundings of heritage buildings through the use of motion-image sensors. The methodology followed for this study is based on the use of CPF-SENSORs (model WTK10070) that count people but do not store the image. Subsequently, data processing was carried out to structure the results and obtain reliable, accurate and easy-to-interpret information. The experimental analysis of this methodology has been carried out in the streetscape of the Valencia Cathedral (Spain). The results confirm the validity of the method used and, regarding the case study, it should be pointed out that the preliminary data have made it possible to establish weekly and daily frequentation patterns, as well as peaks of critical frequentation that exceed the visitor carrying capacity of the Cathedral’s streetscape coinciding with religious or festive celebrations.