To VR or not to VR? Lessons learnt and future pathways for developing Virtual Reality in experimental urban research

The use of Virtual Reality (VR) in experimental urban studies is increasing rapidly. Scholars from a broad range of disciplines, such as geography, environmental psychology, urban planning, and health research, are increasingly using VR for studying peoples' preferences and behaviour in varying urban conditions. While VR provides novel possibilities for experimental research, setting up a VR environment is resource-intensive and requires careful planning across multiple phases, including project inception, environment creation, testing, empirical implementation, and packaging for later use. In this paper, we focus on aspects often left out from empirical research articles: the technical and practical decisions needed to establish a VR environment for experimental research. We synthesize lessons learnt from 13 European projects that have employed VR to investigate human preferences and behaviour in varying urban conditions. The experiences were collected from involved researchers through a survey, and the lessons and recommendations where further refined in a joint workshop. Based on this collective experience and knowledge, we discuss critical technical and administrative aspects in VR development and implementation, such as the choice between in-house versus outsourced development, the integration of realistic environmental features, minimizing cybersickness among participants, and ensuring the longevity of the project. We present a framework for VR development as part of empirical urban studies and offer concrete recommendations, with the aim to lower barriers for using VR in experimental research. We conclude by providing directions for a more scalable, collaborative, and inclusive future for VR in urban research.