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Hashemi and colleagues probed how design can influence urbanites’ quality-of-life. They report that to complete their “study [they] selected two different urban blocks in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania–with high and low social vulnerability indices (SVI)–to compare their microclimate conditions in association with urban morphological characteristics such as green coverage area, sky view factor (SVF), albedo, and street height to width (H/W) ratio. . . . there was a strong correlation between tree and grass coverage and outdoor air and mean radiant temperature during hot seasons and extremely hot days, which in turn affected simulated predicted mean vote (PMV). The effects of greenery were more significant in the block associated with a low SVI, where nearly 50% of the site was covered by trees and grass, compared to only 0.02% of the other block associated with a high SVI. . . . reduced SVF, along with increased albedo and H/W ratio, had a beneficial impact on the microclimate at the pedestrian level.” Albedo can be defined as percentage of light reflected by a surface, such as sidewalks with higher values indicating more reflection. PMV is a measure of user perceptions of temperature.
Farzad Hashemi, Ute Poerschke, Lisa Iulo, and Guangqing Chi. 2023. “Urban Microclimate, Outdoor Thermal Comfort, and Socio-Economic Mapping: A Case Study of Philadelphia, PA.” Buildings, vol. 13, no. 4, 1040, https://doi.org/10.3390/buildings13041040
The Irish Times reports on a study presented at the European Congress on Obesity by Brouwer and van Rossum. The researchers found that “living in a safer neighborhood can have a greater impact on weight loss than how close your home is to a gym of grocery store. Factors such as inadequate street lighting, groups of loitering children, and heavy traffic all have an association with difficulties losing weight. . . . In the long term [18 months], safety was associated with an average decrease of 3.2 percent in weight and an average reduction of 2.6 percent in waist circumference.”
“Want to Lose More Weight? Move to a Safer Neighborhood, Study Says.” 2023. The Irish Times, https://www.theirishtimesnewstoday.com/want-to-lose-more-weight-move-to-a-safer-neighborhood-study-says/
Research by van Oordt, Ouwehand, and Paas confirms that design, particularly when it supports viewing nature, can promote mental refreshment. The investigators report that “According to attention restoration theory observing nature has restorative effects on cognitive components, such as working memory, after a cognitive depleting task. Additionally, urban environments are thought to have no effect or even a negative effect on cognitive restoration. Previous research has confirmed that observing actual, as well as digitally presented nature sceneries leads to more restoration of working memory capacity (WMC) than observing (digital) urban sceneries. . . . we conducted an experiment. . . . After a WMC depleting task, participants observed either digitally presented nature scenery, urban scenery or no scenery. . . . Results indicated significant higher [WMC, cognitive] performance on the digit span test for those who observed nature scenery in comparison to those who observed urban scenery or no scenery. . . . Observing urban scenery was neither harmful nor helpful in terms of cognitive restoration compared to observing no scenery.”
Menno van Oordt, Kim Ouwehand, and Fred Paas. 2023. “Restorative Effects of Observing Natural and Urban Scenery After Working Memory Depletion.” Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 20, no. 1, 188, https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20010188
Ayalon evaluated the criteria humans use to judge neighborhoods. Research conducted indicated “the importance of subjective mediators, rather than objective ones in explaining the association between perceived neighborhood characteristics and wellbeing.” Wellbeing was higher when perceived neighborhood disorder was lower and neighborhood cohesion was perceived to be higher, for example.
Liat Ayalon. 2023. “Perceived Neighborhood Characteristics and Wellbeing: Exploring Mediational Pathways.” Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 88, 102020, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102020
A literature review completed by Nigg, Petersen, and MacIntyre’s confirms the positive effects of exposure to nature during the pandemic and argues for the future support of nature spaces. The investigators found that “Overall, the findings indicate that nature may mitigate [lessen] the impact of COVID-19 on psychological health and physical activity. . . . Overall, natural environments demonstrate considerable potential in buffering the impact of stressful events on a population level on mental health.”
Carina Nigg, Evi Petersen, and Tadhg MacIntyre. 2023. “Nature Environments, Psychosocial Health, and Health Behaviors in a Crisis – A Scoping Review of the Literature in the COVID-19 Context.” Journal of Environmental Psychology, vol. 88, 102009, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102009
Gaertner and colleagues study how relaxing it is to be in various virtual reality spaces. They report that their “systematic review investigates first, whether virtual interventions can successfully induce changes in the autonomic nervous system associated with relaxation as measured by heart rate variability (HRV), and second, aims to determine whether specific intervention components exist which are necessary for their success. . . . [studies evaluated] found a significant physiological effect of a virtual relaxation intervention on HRV. Most used nature stimuli, either as pictures or videos, and assessed self-reported measurements in addition to HRV. Most studies also found an increase in HRV, with corresponding changes in various self-report measurements (e.g., decrease in anxiety). . . . In summary, results from the included studies suggest that virtual relaxation interventions employing nature stimuli interventions are successful.”
Raphaela Gaertner, Katharina Kossmann, Annika Benz, Ulrike Bentele, Maria Meier, Bernadette Denk, Elea Klink, Stephanie Dimitroff, and Jens Pruessner. “Relaxing Effects of Virtual Environments on the Autonomic Nervous System Indicated by Heart Rate Variability: A Systematic Review.” Journal of Environmental Psychology, in press, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102035
Nori and colleagues probed how design can promote effective wayfinding via a virtual reality-based project. They report that their “results suggest that navigation could be facilitated by reducing anxiety and the spatial complexity of the environment. . . . Spatial anxiety is particularly important for navigation and reflects feelings of apprehension and fear regarding navigating an environment, orienting oneself, and performing spatial tasks.” Centrally located you-are-here maps, for example, might reduce spatial anxiety.
Raffaella Nori, Micaela Zucchelli, Massimiliano Palmiero, and Laura Piccardi. “Environmental Cognitive Load and Spatial Anxiety: What Matters in Navigation?” Journal of Environmental Psychology, in press, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2023.102032
A study of termite mound “architecture” indicates how building design can promote air movement within a structure and increase user comfort. Researchers learned by studying the homes of termites in Namibia “that the layout of [a] lattice-like network of tunnels can intercept wind around the termite mound to create turbulence inside, which can power ventilation and control the interior climate. These properties can be copied to create a comfortable climate in human buildings with little energy. . . . The researchers focused on . . . a dense, lattice-like network of tunnels . . . which connects wider conduits inside with the exterior. During the rainy season (November through April) when the mound is growing, this extends over its north-facing surface, directly exposed to the midday sun. Outside this season, termite workers keep the egress tunnels blocked. . . . The researchers concluded that tunnels in the complex interact with wind blowing on the mound in ways that enhance mass transfer of air for ventilation. . . . ventilation of termite mounds at weak winds [is enabled via tunnel layout].” Andreen and Soar studied the termite mounds and their research is published in Frontiers in Materials.
Mischa Dijkstra. 2023. “Termite Mounds Reveal Secret to Creating ‘Living and Breathing’ Buildings That Use Less Energy.” Frontiers Science News, https://blog.frontiersin.org/2023/05/26/frontiers-materials-egress-complex-termite-mounds-ventilation/
Hodges, Estes, and Warren probed the implications of the words used in slogans and it’s likely that their findings are more broadly useful to designers. The team reports that via “a large correlational study with over 800 brand slogans, laboratory experiments, a biometric eye tracking experiment, and a field study, we unearth the word properties that make slogans effective. . . . linguistic properties that make a slogan easier to process (i.e., more fluent) result in slogans that are more likable but less memorable, whereas linguistic properties that reduce processing fluency result in slogans that are less likable but more memorable. . . . participants indicated a more favorable attitude towards slogans that are shorter, omit the brand name, and use words that are linguistically frequent, perceptually distinct, and abstract. In contrast, participants were more likely to remember slogans that are longer, include the brand name, and use words that are linguistically infrequent, concrete, and less perceptually distinct.”
Brady Hodges, Zachary Estes, and Caleb Warren. “Intel Inside: The Linguistic Properties of Effective Slogans.” Journal of Consumer Research, in press, https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad034