In the context of the rapid development of the construction of urban underground spaces in China, people’s demands for the quality of these spaces have become increasingly prominent. As an important part of underground spaces, the different materials used in underground street interfaces give rise to different spatial experiences, which are important for creating a comfortable underground space atmosphere. However, current research on the perception of underground street spaces lacks an exploration of the influence of materials, and most research on materials focuses on the interface design of above-ground commercial streets. In this study, material characteristics were extracted as independent variables, 17 scenes were orthogonalized, and the efficient simulation characteristics of VR were used to build a scene model for the experiment. Participants’ evaluations of the scenes were measured during the experiment, and conclusions were drawn through scene ranking and one-way ANOVA. The results showed that the use of white, high-finish materials with non-directional textures and low bumpiness for the side interface was more in line with the participants’ preferences. This study provides new ideas for the design of high-quality underground commercial streets.

The complex spatial environment of underground commercial street spaces will affect users’ behavior and information needs. As a medium to coordinate the interaction between the underground commercial street space environment and people, guide signs can provide useful information for users. However, the visual saliency of guide signs is the fundamental premise for determining the transmission of information to users. Based on field research, this study identified and examined the factors influencing the significance of guide signs in underground commercial streets from the user’s perspective using the order relation analysis method (G1 method) and with the help of screen-based eye tracking and virtual reality (VR) eye-tracking technology, In addition, we explored the design relationship between critical influencing factors and the space between underground commercial streets, and the visual significance of the differences between each important influencing variable. The study showed that the set position, set height, and design color of underground commercial street guide signs are essential factors in their visual prominence. The prominence was more significant when the position of guide signs was located in the middle and upper area of the space, and the prominence was more significant when the set height was 2.56~2.75 m and 3.12~3.31 m. This study can provide data and theoretical support for the visual saliency design of underground commercial street guide signs and provide a reference for the humanized design of underground commercial street guide signs for public facilities in cities.

Developing and utilizing underground space is a vital direction for urban growth. Underground commercial streets, as a significant component of underground space accommodating extensive human social activities, consequently necessitate the creation of human-scale spaces. In the evolution of urban design development towards more significant, more terrific refinement, applying architectural theories and excessively subjective designs has resulted in a deficient human-centered design and a disordered spatial environment. This study merges environmental psychology and architectural theory to determine the appropriate length of spatial scale. Two experiments focusing on spatial perception evaluation were conducted using a virtual experimental platform that featured varying dimensions of spatial scale combinations. These quantified combinations were correlated with the perception evaluation, and a regression analysis was employed to identify appropriate scale ranges, which were superimposed with the range of length selection. Finally, the optimal length and scale combination for underground commercial street spaces was established, providing a reference for the human-centered design of these environments.

In the context of low-carbon construction, reducing carbon dioxide emissions from town construction land is the key to mitigating the problems caused by global warming. The influence of spatial form on carbon emissions has been generally recognized, but its influence at the level of town construction land is less explored. Therefore, in this study, in order to investigate the relationship between the spatial form of town construction land and carbon emissions, the relationship between them was analyzed, taking Macheng town of Bengbu city as the research object, selecting spatial form elements and quantifying them, and characterizing and accounting for the carbon emissions from the town construction land by each building’s energy consumption. The study demonstrates that the spatial form elements such as building area and building storeys are important factors affecting the carbon emissions of residential land. Likewise, the building area, building shape coefficient, and floor area ratio are crucial factors impacting the carbon emissions of public lands. This research offers spatial form optimization strategies from a carbon reduction perspective by delving into the inherent relationship between spatial form and carbon emissions in town construction land. Consequently, it provides valuable scientific guidance for quantifying spatial planning and formulating carbon reduction strategies within a low-carbon framework.

Developing and utilising of underground space is an vital direction for urban growth. Underground commercial streets, as a significant component of underground space accommodating extensive human social activities, and consequently necessitate the creation of human-scale spaces. In the evolution of urban design development towards greater refinement, applying architectural theories and excessively subjective designs has resulted in a deficiency of human-centered design and a disordered spatial environment. This study merges environmental psychology and architectural theory to determine the appropriate length of spatial scale. Two experiments focusing on spatial perception evaluation were conducted using a virtual experimental platform that featured varying dimensions of spatial scale combinations. These quantified combinations were correlated with perception evaluation, and regression analysis was employed to identify appropriate scale ranges, which were superimposed on the range of length selection. Finally, the optimal length and scale combination for underground commercial street spaces were established, providing a reference for the human-centered design of these environments.