A master thesis from Aalborg University
How does it feel to walk in Berlin? Designing an Urban Sensing Lab to explore walking emotions through EDA sensing
Author(s)
Term
4. semester
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-06-03
Pages
189 pages
Abstract
Developments in technologies such as biosensors, GPS and ICT make real-time assessments in a participatory urban process increasingly efficient and accessible. With global, but also local ambitions to design sustainable, liveable, and barrier-free urban spaces, people and their desires are increasingly moving into the focus of science and practice. Urban walking and pedestrian-friendly cities have grown immensely in importance in recent years, reflecting not only necessary adaptations to climate change and the SDGs, but also the desires of modern citizens. For participatory and people-focused urban planning processes, the concept of Emotional City Mapping can help by providing an innovative approach to integrate people’s emotions. With both subjectively and objectively measurable, physiological data, more holistic analyses and images of an environment can be generated, leading to better informed decisions. The aim of this thesis is therefore to explore whether and how it is possible to collect such objective, emotional data and, furthermore, how it can be combined with other data sets and ultimately visualised in emotional maps. In an Urban Sensing Lab environment, geo-referenced emotional data is collected from participants via EDA sensors as they walk through a Berlin neighbourhood. These sensors (EdaMove 4) are able to detect changes in skin conductance (SCL and SCR) that provide indications of participants’ emotional arousal. Thus, both individual points and clusters of stress can be detected, which can provide further information about the emotional experience in the study area. Finally, the designed emotional maps can be used for participatory planning and decision-making processes and support local transformation projects towards a more sustainable, inclusive, and pedestrian-friendly city of Berlin.
Keywords
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