Neuroergonomics and sociogenesis, lectures part4

Neuroergonomics and sociogenesis
Internationa Society of Biourbanism
Summer School 2014
www.biourbanism.org - info@biourbanism.org

International Society of Biourbanism - Summer School 2014
Neuroscience and Design
Menno Cramer
cramer.menno@gmail.com
Lecture 08

Structure
- Introduction
- Study
- Example
- Reallife
- What’s next

My interest
• How can design influence behaviour?
• Using this understanding to change
design in order to improve behaviour
and quality of life.

• Thorncrown Chapel,Eureka Springs,
• E. Fay Jones

Process

HULT International Business School

Brain

• Mirror neurons
Brain

• Mirror neurons
• Spreading activation
Brain

• Mirror neurons
• Neural plasticity
Brain

• Mirror neurons
• Neural plasticity
• Habituation
Brain

CaveCad

Neuromarketing

Architectural aspects
• Colours
• Shapes
• Sizes
• Patterns (symmetry)

Architectural aspects
• Colours
• Shapes
• Sizes
• Patterns (symmetry)
• Sense of Coherence
• Novelty, controllability, context,
predictability
• Congruity

Behavioural aspects
• Physical
• Physiological
• Psychological
• Social

Behavioural aspects
• Physical
• Physiological
• Psychological
• Social
• “Every space has its own homeostatic
correlate”

Biophilia
• Bio = Nature
• Philia = Love
• The more architecture mimics nature the
better it is for humans as we are natural
beings.

International Society of Biourbanism
• Are there natural patterns in design?
• How does exposure to these patterns
influence us?
• Naturally recurring patterns can be used
to influence quality of life in urban
areas?
• How do cities naturally grow?

Paracity
• We believe the city is a live organism
that has a quality of life in itself,
embedded in the fabric.

LITERATURE
• Therefore, an average will have to be evaluated which will be most
advantageous for all users (Del Nord 2006)
• stimulations are dependent on intensity, variety, complexity,
mysteriousness, andnovelty (Cox et al., 2000)

LITERATURE
• According to Evans and McCoy the relation between architecture and
health can be divided in four physical design aspects which are:
stimulation, coherence, affordances and control (Evans and McCoy
1998).
• They indicate that the approximate wavelength of blue (470nm) will
evoke a more “peaceful” reaction than e.g. red (Edelstein et al., 2008)

LITERATURE
• According to Evans and McCoy the relation between architecture and
health can be divided in four physical design aspects which are:
stimulation, coherence, affordances and control (Evans and McCoy
1998).
• They indicate that the approximate wavelength of blue (470nm) will
evoke a more “peaceful” reaction than e.g. red (Edelstein et al., 2008)
• Due to repeated exposure the brain reconstructs itself through neuronal
plasticity, the quantity of opiate rich receptors were increased along
these pathways in the brain (Yue et al. 2007)
• A study done by Tyler (1999)shows that symmetryin art and
neuroscience does lead to a unified response across participants

Study
How the built environment can contribute to the attenuation of
a stress response?

Study
How the built environment can contribute to the attenuation of
a stress response?
“For every task a human needs to do there is an ultimate
environmental condition to aid this task”

Background
• How design can influence behaviour?
Salutogenisis:
« any factor that supports or promotes human health and
wellbeing »
• Using this understanding to change design in order to
improve behaviour and quality of life.

Paper One
• Ceiling height study, Meyers Levy & Zhu (2007)
• Thesis:“ceiling height may affect the very manner in which
consumersprocess information and thus how they respond
to products”
• Sense of freedom versus confinement
– Architecturalaspects can prime concepts

Experiment one
• 2 identical room types apart from ceiling height
• 32 participants

Experiment one
• 32 participants
• Task one:
– Rate the degree to which six different items reflect your
current body state. (1-7)

Experiment one
• 32 participants
• Task one:
– Rate the degree to which six different items reflect your
current body state. (1-7)
• Task two:
– Solve 12 anagrams
• 3 freedom, 3 confinement,6 random
• milliseconds

Results:
• Participants in a high ceiling room reported a higher freedom
body state.

Results:
body state.
• Participants in the high versus low ceiling room exhibited
faster RT to freedom related anagrams.

Results:
body state.
• Participants in the high versus low ceiling room exhibited
faster RT to freedom related anagrams.
• High ceiling height correlates with the abstractness of
thinking in categorization.

• Rectangularity illusion (Sadella Oxley, 1984)

Interest
• Tranquil architecture
• Tranquility features
– Shape, size, colour (Zeki, Ffytche)
– Which design features enhance tranquility?
– Tranquil measures:
– Physical, physiological, psychological, social

Measures
• State- Trait
• Perception
• Rating
• Skin conductance response

Horizontal Vertical
High lighting quantity Low lighting quantity
Hard lightingedges Soft lighting edges
Angularemphasis Angularintergration

Spaciousness hypotheses
• Increased perception spaciousness will lead to increased
stateof tranquillity.
• Visual repetitiveness will enhance features spaciousnessand
lead to a tranquil response.
• Lighting symmetry is more important for a tranquil response
than spatial symmetry.

Tranquil state
• A tranquil stateis considered not in absolute value but in a
change in state, this change should be towards decreased
arousal measured in > SCR, > Heart rate
• The largest percentual difference towards reduced arousal is
consideredto be the stimulus leading to the highest tranquil
state.

Tranquil response
• A tranquil response is any response that contribute to the
level of a tranquil state. Meaning any: > SCR, > Heart rate(v)

• “Tranquility is a mental state more likely to occur in the
presence of objective sensory inputs that arise from natural
features in the environment.”

Brain...
Aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't
mttaerin waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny
iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at the rghit
pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you can sitll raed it
wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not
raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe.
Urban/architectural samples.

Street design
• Wardour A/B
• A-B
• Results: excell graph
• Heart rate 74 – 76

Increase economical footfall

Future?
Architecture
Web design
Urban Design
Fashion
Music
Art
Human => Stimulus => Response

Smart architecture
• Continuousbio measures
• Adaptable architecture
– Light
– Colour
– Shape
• Stores,Hotels, Plane

Environmental?
• Need 3 hour sleep, most effectively
• Need to study to pass exam, give me optimal concentration.
• I want to have a good time, make me feel relaxed and
comfortable.
• I am sad, comfort me.

Biophilia
• Bio = Life, living + philia = Love
• “The more architecture mimics nature the better it is for
humans as we are natural beings.”

Biourbanism
• “Stimuli have set responses with a marginof response amplitude
differentiation based on the stateand trait of an individual.”
• “The responses to these “architectural” stimuli are predictable through
patterns and codes. By understanding these patterns and codes we can
anticipate how humans will respond, we know this because humans are
natural beings which we start to comprehend, we can design urban
spaces from which we can positively influence the behaviour and usage of
a space to enhance personal and societal well being.”
• “We can mimic natural qualities within manmade environments to ensure
a sustainable response for humans which is not detrimental to our
existence.”

Environmental?
• Need 3 hour sleep, most effectively
• Need to study to pass exam, give me optimal concentration.
• I want to have a good time, make me feel relaxed and
comfortable.
• I am sad, comfort me.
• Amazon makes my buy?
• Facebook gives a friendly environment?

• Can we design responses?
• Can we engineer a state of being, a state
of mind.
• => Wellbeing between the buildings

Images:
• Google maps
• http://www.philips.co.uk/
• http://www.badmademoiselle.com/bdm/women-at-the-top/zaha-hadid-bdm-woman-of-the-month/
• http://www.allejachthavens.nl/pagina4.htm
• www.citizenm.com
• www.viewpictures.co.uk
• designchickee.wordpress.com
• www.phaidon.com
• www.saudigazette.com.sa
• blogs.telegraph.co.uk
• en.wikipedia.org
• www.biocomtech.com
• www.dana.org
• www.dana.org4
• wn.com
• www.futurelab.net
• www.oobject.com
• www.airlinetrends.com
• weburbanist.com

Paracity
Lecture 12

PARACITY
CasagrandeLaboratoryCentreof Urban
Research / PARACITY:
Marco Casagrande, Menno Cramer, Katie
Donaghy, Niilo Tenkanen, Nikita Wu, Joni
Virkki,Ycy Charlie, Sauli Ylinen,
Dave Kan-ju Chen

"To find a form that accommodates the mess, that is the task of the artist now."
- Samuel Beckett

Paracity is a positive organic tumour in the mechanical tissue of
Taipei. While it is leaching and processing the industrial and
organic waste of the city, it is gaining momentum in its
growth and becomes more and more important to the static
industrial urbanism.
Paracity is an alternative reality within the industrial
development and will start treating the city the same ways as
the urban acupuncture points of illegal communitygardens
and urban farms of Taipei do today.
Paracity has the ability to become a network of biourban
acupuncturetuning the whole industrial city towards the
organic, ruining the industrialism on its way to become part
of nature, the Third Generation City.

Paracity is a third generation city, an organic machine, urban
compost,which is helping the industrial city to transform into
being part of nature.

Bio-energy
The main energy source for the Paracity is bio-energy, which is using both
treated organic waste and sludge from Paracity and surrounding Taipei
and especially biomass that is harvested around Paracity and on the flood
banks of the Taipei rivers. The fertile flood banks, flood plains and storm
water channels provide ideal cultivation areas for fast growing biomass
plantations. The vegetation will be harvested by boats and then shipped
to Paracity Bio-Energy Facility. The growing of the biomass on the river
banks will also benefit on the natural river restorationthroughroot
cleansing of sediment pollution and the biomass will have a positive
impact on the Taipei micro climate and urban ecology.

Social Development
Where in nature a tree will not grow under another tree or too near another
tree because they would be fighting for each others light, ground and
water in society we must live according to similar innate rules whereby
we prove selfless and show an interest in the well-being of others. A
paracity musttherefore grow according to need rather than desire.
If you think of a city no matter the scale we often do not interact with those
in our close proximity. As individuals we have the innate trait to want to
help others whether it be because we care or simply because it makes us
feel good. This gets lost in an individualistic city where we find it more
difficult to extend help to a stranger but also where there is often no one
to recognise and praise your efforts.

The post-industrialfleet of bio-vessels can travelalong the Taipei river system and is
ready to start the biourban restorationprocessalso from other hot-spots of the river
city. The environmentaltechnologybarges provide solutionsfor:
• Waste water treatment of Paracity and of the surrounding Taipei
• Water purification.The infrastructuralwater circulationis originatedfrom the
pollutedDanshuiRiver.
• Sludge treatment for fertilizer and bio-energy.
• Closed circuit aquaculture.
• Recycling of construction waste.
• Recycling of organic waste for fertilizer and bio-energy.

Paracity will use purified water from the pollutedDanshui River. After chemical
bacteriabased primary treatment the water is pumped to the roof gardens for
oxygenationandtaken by gravity to the farms and gardens.

Adaptability
The pilot-project of the Paracity is designed in Taipei, but the solution
is developed to work in different locations around the world.
Paracity offers an alternative for the Chinese strategic urban
planning to start ecologically harmonizing the growing river cities of
China. And Paracity can be used as urban acupuncture for the
emerging cities of China and elsewhere.
Paracity can grow along the Oshiwara chain of slums in Mumbai
providing better living conditions, cleaning up the Oshiwara River
and more effectively treating the urban waste that is flooding in
from the surrounding city.
Paracity can parachute into Nairobi and start growing from the fertile
top-soil of the slums. Paracity should grow into the favelas of Brazil
and start celebrating the local knowledge of these organic
communities. Paracity is organic, adaptable and welcomes local
knowledge. The city is built by hands of a high diversity of different
people.

Paracity has a lot of holes, gaps and nature in-between
houses. The system is ventilating itself like a large scale
beehive of post-industrial insects. The different
temperatures of the roofs, gardens, water bodies and
shaded platforms will generate small winds between
them and the hot roofs will start sucking in breeze
from the cooler river. Also the individual houses should
follow the traditional principles of bioclimatic
architecture and not rely on mechanical air-
conditioning.

Paracity @ CAFAM
Biennale in Beijing

Placemaking
Angelica Fortuzzi, PhD
angelica.fortuzzi@biourbanism.org
Lecture 13

change:
PLACEMAKING
the power to
introduction to

Angelica Fortuzzi, Architect, PhD | Summer School 2014
it is an approach
to the planning,
design and
management
of public spaces
• multi-faceted
• community-driven
• bottom-up
what is placemaking

qualities that define the approach
what it is:
collaborative, community-driven, sociable
culturally aware
context-sensitive
multi-disciplinary
visionary, inspiring
function before form, focused on creating destinations
adaptable, inclusive, ever changing, transformative,
flexible
what it is not:
imposed from above
reactive, exclusionary, static, privatized, a quick fix
project-focused, design-driven, discipline-driven, one-
size-fits-all, one-dimensional
monolithic development, dependent on regulatory
controls, overly accommodating of the car
A blanket solution
benefit analysis, a cost
YES!!!
NOT!!!
:-)
:-(
what is placemaking

In the 60s, architects, urbanists,
sociologists and journalists started
to study the chaos and disorder of
their contemporary cities that
strongly contrasted with the
efficient and abstract model of the
modern city, particularly the use of
public spaces.
bases: kevin lynch

bases: jane jacobs

william h. whyte & pps
William H. (Holly) Whyte(1917-1999),
his investigations on pedestrian
behaviour and city dynamics formed
the basis for the placemaking
approach. PPS - Project for Public
Space considers Whyte their mentor.
Fred Kent, fondatore dei PPS

the right to the city
The freedom to
make and remake
our cities and
ourselves is, I want
to argue, one of
the most precious
yet most neglected
of our human
rights.
David Harvey
The right to the
city is far more
than the
individual liberty
to access urban
resources:
it is a right to
change
ourselvesby
changing the
city. David Harvey

the right to the city
where the community comes together in an
informal way, to see familiar and unfamiliar
faces, somewhere civic discourse and
community connections can happen.
Ray Oldenburg
urban spaces are a “neutral
ground”
where people may freely
gather, feeling at ease, without
playing the role of hosts;
Enrique Peñalosa
public spaces as an indicator of the
level of democracy in a society:
lower-income citizens will have access to
computers and a wide array of electronic
equipment. What they will not have is
access to green spaces and sports
facilities – unless governments act
today.
Factors such as plazas, promenades,
bicycle paths and pavements, waterfronts,
parks and public sports facilities show
respect for human dignity.

project for public space - pps

placemakers
www.placemakers.com

placemakers

betterblock
www.betterblock.org

betterblock
betterblock.org
(Building a Better Block in Oak Cliff,Dallas, Texas - USA, 2012)

placemaking: 3 steps
3 different steps
- discover
- create a common vision
- implementation
> discover
a) the people/community
b) the place
c) the life and the living way

discover
a) the people/community
b) the place
c) the life and the living way
a) people and the community:
> looking at
> listening to
> asking questions
to the people who work and play
Questions:
so what’s special in this community?
Placemaking takes root when a
community expresses needs and
desires about places in their lives,
even if there is not yet a clearly
defined plan of action.

discover
b) discover the place:
view a place in its entirety,
pay attention to issues on the small
scales.
Tuning with place with a fresh eye
Framing with questions:
How many quality places are located
nearby?
and how are they connected?
Are there places that should be more
meaningful but aren’t?
- look at connection with surroundings /
and the community;
- look at the degree of public/private
spaces, at their boundaries, if any;
- look at the dimension of the space
and how it affects the relations
between people.

> create a common vision
the information gathered is then used
to create a common vision for that
place.
> implementation
the vision can evolve quickly into an
implementation strategy

create a network:
the power of 10
One great place is not enough, need
a number of them to create a truly lively
city
Power of 10 is a framework for
communities and stakeholders
principle is: starts from smallest scale to
accomplish big things
The need of a network of good places at
different scale:
Place > neighbourhood > city > region
is a collection of interesting communities
on a regional scale by linking towns and
cities, with major public spaces and mixed-
use neighborhoods serving as the
connections.
power of 10

The core idea is:
any great place itself needs to offer at
least
10 things to do
or 10 reasons to be there…
a place to sit, playgrounds to enjoy, art to
touch, music to hear,
food to eat, history to experience, and
people to meet.
A park is good. A park with a fountain,
playground, and popcorn vendor is
better. A library across the street is even
better, more so if they feature storytelling
hours for kids and exhibits on local
history. If there’s a sidewalk café nearby,
a bus stop, a bike trail, and an ice
cream parlor, then you have what most
people would consider a great place.
power of 10

Aid the community to unfold
their potential
let everyone to think about what’s
special in their communities
questions:
• How many quality places are located
nearby?
• and how are they connected?
• Are there places that should be more
meaningful but aren’t?
This helps to focus the community
energies.
power of 10

1. The Community Is the Expert
The important starting point in developing a concept for any public space
is to identify the talents and assets within the community – inviting
people into the process - who have an interest or stake in a particular
place, such as those who live or work there - is crucial in deciding how to
develop or improve a place.
In every community there are:
- historical perspective,
- valuable insights,
- how the area functions,
- understanding of the critical
issues,
- what is meaningful to people.
guidelines: 11 principles

2. You Are Creating a Place, Not
Just a Design
Creating a place entails a broader view
that goes beyond design; a successful
public space possesses four key
attributes:
1. accessibility,
2. activities,
3. comfort by physical changes
4. and sociability
Goal: create a place with a strong sense
of community and a comfortable image,
with setting and activities and uses.
11 principles

3. You Can’t Do It Alone
A good public space requires more
resources and expertise than any one
individual or organization can offer.
4. TheyAlways Say “It Can’t
Be Done”
When an idea stretches beyond the
reach of an organization and and
someone says, “It can’t be done,” what
that usually means is, “We’ve never
done things that way before.”
5. You Can See A Lot Just by
Observing
When people observe a space, they
learn about how it is actually used,
rather than how they think it is used.
11 principles

6. Develop A Vision
A vision for a public space should be
defined primarily by people who will live,
work around, and use the space.
7. Forms Support Function
The most successful places grow out of
understanding what a space needs to
offer so that people will use it. By
following and incorporating the uses
articulated by the community, a designer
can not only make the space interesting to
look at and be in, but also very functional.
8. Triangulate
The concept of triangulation relates to
locating elements in such a way that the
chances of activity occurring around them
is greatly increased. For example, if a children’s
reading room in a new library were located next to a
playground in a park with a food kiosk, more activity
would occur than if these facilities were sited separately.
11 principles

9. Lighter - Quicker - Cheaper
Many great plans become bogged down
because they are too big, cost too much,
and take too long to happen.
Short-term actions, like planting flowers, can
be a way of not only testing ideas, but also
giving people the confidence that change is
occurring and that their ideas matter.
10. Money is Not the Issue
All too often, the lack of money is used as
an excuse for doing nothing. In fact, too
much money often discourages the
inventiveness, creativity, and persistence
required to create a great place.
11. You are never finished
About 80% of the success of any public space
can be attributed to its management. No
matter how good the design of a space is, it
will never become a true place unless it is
cared for well.
11 principles

place diagram

PARIS «Identical fountains on the four corners
are popular gathering places for all ages.
Grassy lawns round out the satisfying mixture
of lingering places.»
Hazel Borys (www.placemakers.com)
Examples of good space according to placemaking approach

PARIS «a monument amid an
informal planting of trees
provide a central focus»

PARIS «Rue Rambuteau
provides an interesting mix of
local and international retail»

BERLIN«Civic space within Museum Island was always inhabited, offering a
comfortable sense of enclosure, seating, shade, and interesting sights.»

BERLIN«A great system of cycling crosswalks keep cyclists mounted through
intersections, and make way for younger cyclists.»

REFERENCES
• Alexander, C., Ishikawa S., Silverstein S. (1977), A Pattern
Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction. New York: Oxford
UP.
• Alexander, C. (1979), The Timeless Way of Building, New York:
Oxford UP.
• Berg, N. (2012), The Official Guide to Tactical Urbanism
• Borys, H. (2013), Creative Placemaking: From Here Until Now,
http://www.placemakers.com
• Gehl, J. (2010), Cities for People, Washington, DC: Island.
• Harvey, D., (2008), "The Right to the City", New Left Review 53
(2008): 23-40.
• Jacobs, J. (1992), The Death and Life of Great American Cities,
[New York]: Random House.
• Lynch, K. (1960). The Image of the City. Cambridge, MA: MIT.
• Oldenburg, R. (1999), The Great Good Place: Cafés, Coffee
Shops, Bookstores, Bars, Hair Salons, and Other Hangouts at
the Heart of a Community. New York: Marlowe.
• Project for Public Spaces (2009c), What is Placemaking,
www.pps.org
• The Better Block (2010), How To Build a Better Block, last
modified October, http://betterblock.org
• Whyte, W. H. (1980), The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces.
Washington, D.C.: Conservation Foundation
THANK YOU THANK YOU

Neuroergonomics and sociogenesis, lectures part4

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