Research project develops unique methods to use emotions in
urban planning
Unsafe bike paths, traffic jam stress, frightening
underpasses – modern city dwellers face a number of stressors. According to
experts, sustainable urban design needs to take into account citizens’
emotional responses to their environment. In the interdisciplinary “Urban
Emotions” research project, scientists from the universities in Heidelberg and
Kaiserslautern are developing creative methods to capture information about
those feelings from user-generated data. The data is intended to show how
citizens use their city, where they feel comfortable and what conditions can
evolve into problematic situations. In search of the appropriate toolset, the
researchers are testing the possibilities of the “People as Sensors” concept,
which automatically measures emotions and stress levels.