Brain responses to architecture and planning: a preliminary neuro-assessment of the pedestrian experience in Boston, Massachusetts

ABSTRACT

There is a revolution underway in the interface between architecture and planning. Very recent research is enabling a novel understanding of the neuroscience behind how people perceive and experience the built environment. One such work, Cognitive Architecture: Designing for How We Respond to the Built Environment (Sussman, Ann, and Justin B. Hollander. 2015. New York: Routledge), argues for a set of testable principles for architecture and planning practice. Its overall line of investigation is that certain design characteristics of the built environment can influence brain wave production. Specifically, the interest lies in whether the presence of features suggestive of Cognitive Architecture is associated with certain brain responses. This working paper presents the results of a pilot study into this question, discusses technical issues and limitations and provides suggestions for future research avenues.

KEYWORDS:

• Urban design
• neuroscience
• traditional neighbourhood design
• environmental psychology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. It is worth noting that, while medium-density urban environments can also be walkable and supportive of transit, the exact point at which a place is ‘dense enough’ has not been fully answered in the empirical literature.

2. See Sussman and Hollander (2015) for evidence to support this section.

3. The NeuroSky portable EEG monitor has a single channel for recording brain wave activity and is sold by the NeuroSky company, based in Silicon Valley, California, United States. The firm makes make several different monitors and devices. We used a research-grade EEG monitor called the Mindwave Mobile Brainwave Sensing Headset which cost $100 USD. For comparison purposes, the company called g.tec makes very high-end EEG monitors that start in the US$5–10,000 range for eight channels.

4. The report adopts a more informal tone at this point to assist reader understanding.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Justin Hollander

Justin Hollander, Ph.D., AICP, is an Associate Professor of Urban Planning.

Veronica Foster

Veronica Foster is a recent graduate of Tufts University with a B.S. in Cognitive and Brain Sciences and a minor in Urban Studies.