The influence of Non-park urban greenery on the pedestrian mobility of seniors: A methodological framework for the analysis of affective states

The project aims to investigate specific physiological and cognitive aspects of Non-Park Urban Greenery (NPUG) and its effects on the pedestrian mobility of seniors. The interdisciplinary empirical work combines physiological data collection, self-reported emotional evaluations and, age-simulation technology. From a theoretical standpoint, the measuring of affective states was developed by answering a neuro-physiological declarative assessment based on voluntary re-orientation of attention . As part of the proposed framework, a self-evaluating matrix was developed in a mobile application to guide individuals to identify and register insights on their interior states of emotion. The app is a 2-dimensional digital matrix, adapted from the Russell grid for Affective States. The ‘bingo grid’ was exchanged for a more intuitive color grid with 8 regions arguing that it will guide seniors to easily evaluate affect: considering at the same time both the intensity (arousal) and the pleasantness (valence). The affective responses were recorded at specific points of a predefined pedestrian route in the campus of the university. The original hypothesis considered that a point within the regions could describe more accurately the affective state of the experience, while the app codes the numerical values. Real-time responses are from participants navigating a predefined route. Consequently, the paper provides the results of the experiment while outlining the preliminary guidelines to apply the methodological framework in the analysis of other green spaces. This novel approach that integrates technology with human-centered research aims to enhance our understanding of NPUG and its correlation to wellbeing.