Dynamic Light-color Contrasts in Adaptive Urban Navigation

Abstract

The article examines dynamic light–color contrasts as a tool for adaptive navigation in the urban spatial environment. It demonstrates that the interplay of light and color, changing over time or depending on external factors, ensures stable legibility and cognitive coherence of pedestrian routes under variable lighting, weather conditions, and seasonal dynamics. The study analyzes natural-climatic and sociocultural factors influencing the perception of navigational signals and the formation of visual landmarks. An adaptive model of light–color navigation is proposed, integrating the principles of visual perception, the spatial structure of the city, and algorithms for adjusting light and color parameters. The paper defines methods of landmark adaptation, including the sequence of visual plane perception, the hierarchy of contrasts, and the correction of perceptual contours according to time of day and visibility conditions. Testing of the proposed model in the city of Novosibirsk confirmed the effectiveness of dynamic light–color contrasts in improving route legibility, cognitive comfort, and emotional perception of the urban environment. The obtained results can be applied in the development of urban design codes, lighting and navigation systems, and visual–communication regulations for cities located in climatically contrasting regions of Russia.