Large cities in the West respond to an ever-increasing shortage of affordable housing by accelerating the process of urban densification. Amsterdam, for instance, aims to increase its housing stock by 10 percent in the next 15 years as its population is expected to grow by 20 percent. As in other cities, it seems inevitable that high-rise buildings with higher skyscrapers than in the past will be built within the existing urban fabric. Such large-scale (re)development projects shape the conditions for inhabitants’ eye-level experiences, perception of place and overall well-being. The new hybrid field of neuroarchitecture offers promising eye-tracking technology and theories for measuring inhabitants’ visual experiences of the city and rethinking the effectiveness of applied design principles across the globe. In this paper, the ‘classic’ design solutions for creating streetscapes on a human scale in densified areas have been assessed by eye-tracking 31 participants in a laboratory setting, all of whom viewed photographs of 15 existing streetscapes in high-rise environments. The study drew on theories from the field of neuroarchitecture and used input from a panel of (landscape) architects and urban designers to design the research and analyze the eye-tracked patterns. The results indicate that the classic design principles (horizontal–vertical rhythms and variety; active ground floor; tactile materials) play a significant role in people’s appreciation of the streetscape and that their attention is unconsciously captured by the presence of these principles. The absence of the design principles seems to result in a scattered ‘searching’ eye movement pattern. This also suggests that a coherent design of streetscapes in high-rise environments may contribute to a human scale at eye-level.
Voor u ligt het booklet Sensing Streetscapes: perspectieven op verdichting. Het bundelt de interviews van elf ontwerpbureaus, drie gemeentelijke senior stedenbouwers, de voormalige rijksadviseur, vijf mondiale academische pioniers van de neuro-architectuur en een verkenning naar negen bijzondere Chinese woningbouwprojecten.Deze uitgave is onderdeel van het tweejarig onderzoeksproject Sensing Streetscapes. Hierin werken onderzoekers van de HvA samen met de praktijk en internationale onderzoeksgroepen aan het ontleden van het begrip menselijke maat voor het ruimtelijk ontwerp. De conceptversie van het booklet werd op het eindseminar-excursie van 28 mei 2021 gepresenteerd. Aan de publicatie zijn de inzichten uit het eindsymposium en excursie toegevoegd, alsmede een top-10 lijst van lessen voor het verdichten met een menselijke maat op ooghoogte.
Urban densification continues unabated, even as the possible consequences for users’ eye-level experiences remain unknown. This study addresses these consequences. In a laboratory setting, images of the NDSM wharf were shown to university students primed for one of three user groups: residents, visitors and passers-by. Their visual experiences were recorded using eye-tracking and analyzed in combination with surveys on self-reported appreciation and restorativeness. On-site surveys were also administered among real users. The results reveal distinct eye-movement patterns that point to the influence of environmental roles and tasks and how architectural qualities steer people’s visual experience, valence and restoration.
