A paper titled “Built Environmental Stimuli, Psychological Experience, and Tourist Behavioral Intentions in Historic Districts: Integrating Scene Theory and the SOR Model” by Jang Go-gyeol, a Ph.D. candidate in the Spatial Environment Lab of the Department of Spatial and Cultural Design at the Graduate School of Techno-Design, Kookmin University (President Jeong Seung Ryul; advisor: Professor Lee Sunjung), has been published in the international academic journal *Buildings*. *Buildings* is an international academic journal in the fields of architecture, construction, and architectural design published by MDPI and is indexed in the SCIE section of Web of Science.

This study focused on the fact that the appeal of historic and cultural districts is not formed solely by the characteristics of buildings or the physical environment, but rather through the process by which visitors perceive the space, experience the culture, and form relationships with others. Student Jang Go-gyeol combined Scene Theory with the Stimulus-Organism-Response (S-O-R) model to analyze the process by which environmental stimuli in historic and cultural districts lead to behavioral intentions—such as repeat visits, recommendations, and sharing experiences—through tourists’ psychological experiences. To this end, she applied both structural equation modeling (SEM) and fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) based on survey data from 498 visitors to the Pingjiang Historic and Cultural District in Suzhou, China.

The analysis revealed that positive behavioral intentions toward the historic and cultural district are associated with a combination of various environmental and psychological conditions rather than being explained by a single factor. The study organized these into three constituent pathways: the “cultural atmosphere–knowledge acquisition-centered pathway,” the “sensory perception–distinctive experience synergy pathway,” and the “knowledge acquisition–social interaction activation pathway.” Furthermore, the three psychological experience factors—place attachment, hedonic experience, and cultural identity—all showed significant relationships with tourists’ behavioral intentions, with cultural identity exhibiting the strongest relationship.

This study is significant in that it examined historical and cultural districts not merely from the perspective of physical preservation or spatial form, but by integrating spatial, cultural, and social experiences with users’ psychological responses within a single analytical framework. The findings suggest that the regeneration and spatial design of historical and cultural districts must consider not only streetscapes and the built environment but also cultural interpretation, participatory experiences, sensory experiences, and social interaction.

Professor Lee Sunjung of Kookmin University stated, “Rather than explaining the value of historical and cultural spaces solely through their physical form, it is important to examine the entire process by which users perceive the space, understand the culture, and form a relationship with the place.” She added, “This study is significant in that it connects spatial, cultural, and social experiences with users’ psychological responses within a single analytical framework and validated these findings by combining quantitative and constructivist analyses. This study demonstrates that spatial design research can expand beyond the analysis of form and environmental elements to explain the actual experiences and behaviors of users.”

Jang Go-gyeol, a student at Kookmin University, said, “I wanted to specifically explain how the spatial characteristics of a historic and cultural district translate into the actual experiences and behaviors of visitors.” She added, “Under the guidance of my advisor, I learned to integrate scene theory and the S-O-R model to suit the research subject, and by applying SEM and fsQCA together, I was able to interpret a single phenomenon from multiple analytical perspectives.

“I hope to continue conducting research that empirically explores the relationship between space, culture, and user experience,” she added.