Columbia University's Cloud Lab aims to measure participants' brainwaves and figure out their state of mind of as they experience their surroundings.
Sarah Goodyear reports on her personal experience as a participant for a "brain-imaging experiment," run by Mark Collins of Columbia University's Cloud Lab. In the study, which Collins describes as "more of a large-scale art project" than scientific research, participants were asked to wear a NeuroSky device (similar to a Google Glass) to measure brain waves as they walked around New York's Dumbo neighborhood.
Goodyear summarizes the experiment: "The NeuroSky device…takes readings of the brain’s electrical activity…An algorithm then…summarizes them into two general states – attentive and meditative. The idea behind the visualization will be to 'spray' this data onto a 3D map of the neighborhood we walked around and see what it reveals about the mental state of the experiment’s participants as they moved through space."
The experiment aims "to monitor our brain waves, hoping to harness the resulting data to better comprehend how human beings interact with their urban and architectural environments." In this way, Collins hopes to gather data that will be used "when we design cities or neighborhoods or when we make decisions about the urban experiences we want to pursue."
The article does not describe how a "meditative" or "attentive" state of mind will be interpreted to inform urban design or policy. In the near future, though, we may see brain wave measuring devices that help us capture insights about urban design perception that is too subtle for words or observation.
FULL STORY: The Quest to Measure the Brain's Response to Urban Design
Depopulation Patterns Get Weird
A recent ranking of “declining” cities heavily features some of the most expensive cities in the country — including New York City and a half-dozen in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Pennsylvania Mall Conversion Bill Passes House
If passed, the bill would promote the adaptive reuse of defunct commercial buildings.
California Exodus: Population Drops Below 39 Million
Never mind the 40 million that demographers predicted the Golden State would reach by 2018. The state's population dipped below 39 million to 38.965 million last July, according to Census data released in March, the lowest since 2015.
Google Maps Introduces New Transit, EV Features
It will now be easier to find electric car charging stations and transit options.
Ohio Lawmakers Propose Incentivizing Housing Production
A proposed bill would take a carrot approach to stimulating housing production through a grant program that would reward cities that implement pro-housing policies.
Chicago Awarded $2M Reconnecting Communities Grant
Community advocates say the city’s plan may not do enough to reverse the negative impacts of a major expressway.
City of Costa Mesa
Licking County
Barrett Planning Group LLC
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
Mpact Transit + Community
HUD's Office of Policy Development and Research
City of Universal City TX
ULI Northwest Arkansas
Town of Zionsville
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.