City rats: From rat behaviour to human spatial cognition in urban environments

The structure and shape of an urban environment influence our ability to find our way about in the city 1-2. Indeed, urban designers who face the challenge of planning environments that facilitate wayfinding 3 , have a consequent need to understand the relations between the urban environment and spatial cognition 4. Previous studies have suggested that certain qualities of city elements, such as a distinct contrast with the background (e.g. The Eiffel Tower in Paris), or a clear morphology (e.g. the grid layout of