The Impact of Spatial Legibility and Environmental Cues on Wayfinding in Older Adults: A Critical Review of Evidence from a Neuroarchitecture Perspective

Hadis Arzifard¹ Azadeh Shahcheraghi²

1) Master’s Student in Interior Architecture, Khatam University, Tehran, Iran.
2) Professor, Department of Architecture, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.

IOI Code : ABFG-ACABBZ
Publication : 12th.international Congress on Civil Engineering, Architecture, Art and Urban Development(12icsau.ir)
Abstract :
    Independent wayfinding in healthcare and residential buildings is an important component of older adults’ spatial experience. However, difficulty finding a destination cannot be attributed solely to individual memory impairment or insufficient signage. This article aims to critically review the evidence on the effects of spatial configuration legibility and environmental cues on wayfinding in older age and to clarify the limits of neuroarchitectural explanations. The study employs a structured narrative review based on secondary data. Forty-five articles with digital object identifiers (DOIs), published between 1981 and 2025, were examined for their relevance to spatial configuration, route learning in older age, wayfinding cues, and cognitive mechanisms. Findings were compared across four themes: “layout structure and complexity,” “cues and route memory,” “evidence from care environments,” and “cognitive and neural indicators.” Studies suggest that comprehensible spatial organization and the placement of cues at decision points can reduce certain wayfinding errors. However, improved accuracy is not always accompanied by increased speed, satisfaction, or extent of movement. Studies conducted in care facilities, simulation studies, and neuroscientific research differ in their populations, tasks, and outcome measures; therefore, a uniform effect cannot be established for all older adults. The review emphasizes the need to consider route legibility, cue distinctiveness, individual cognitive conditions, and behavioral measures of performance together. In this context, the role of neuroarchitecture is to explain plausible mechanisms and formulate testable questions, rather than to derive definitive design prescriptions from brain data.

Keywords : spatial legibility environmental cues wayfinding in older adults neuroarchitecture narrative review