Visual perception of landscape renovation in Qinyang’s historical and cultural streets: evidence from eye tracking of static streetscape images

Using eye-tracking technology, this study examined how landscape renovation schemes for historical and cultural streets (HCSs) influence public visual attention allocation under static streetscape image-viewing conditions. Ten HCS nodes in the central urban area of Qinyang were selected as the study sites. Paired pre-renovation field photographs and post-renovation renderings were used as stimulus materials, and participants’ eye-movement data during image viewing were collected using the HTC Vive Pro Eye system in conjunction with the ErgoLAB platform. The analysis first characterized the overall distribution of visual attention across streetscapes by means of fixation heat maps. At the area of interest (AOI) level, each streetscape was subdivided into 14 element categories, from which relevant eye-tracking metrics were extracted. In parallel, semantic segmentation was employed to derive visual structural indicators for cross-validation. Differences between pre- and post-renovation conditions were then tested using paired-sample t-tests ( p  < 0.05). The results showed that, following renovation, fixation heat maps exhibited a clear shift in visual hotspots from the forward roadway area toward the street-side interfaces and landscape elements. AOI analysis further indicated that, in most streetscapes, attention allocated to culturally relevant elements, such as historical buildings and historical signage, increased, while environmentally supportive elements, including vegetation, pedestrian interfaces, and public facilities, were simultaneously enhanced. By contrast, attention directed to visually disruptive elements, such as vehicles, obstructions, and cluttered commercial signage, generally declined. Nevertheless, a small number of streetscapes still exhibited competition for attention among elements and uneven improvement effects. Overall, the results indicate that, under static streetscape image-viewing conditions, observers allocated greater visual attention to elements associated with cultural expression, vegetation landscapes, and the pedestrian environment in the post-renovation images, showing an overall shift in visual attention patterns. However, because the pre- and post-renovation stimuli consisted of field photographs and design renderings, respectively, the results may have been influenced by differences in image types. Therefore, these findings should be interpreted as changes in visual perception under design-scheme representation conditions rather than direct evidence of effects in the actual built environment, and they should not be directly equated with real street walking experiences.