Informing Streetscape Design with Citizen Perceptions of Safety and Place: An Immersive Virtual Environment E-Participation Method

Marcus White (), Nano Langenheim, Tianyi Yang and Jeni Paay
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Marcus White: Centre for Design Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
Nano Langenheim: Melbourne School of Design, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC 3010, Australia
Tianyi Yang: Centre for Design Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia
Jeni Paay: Centre for Design Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology, Hawthorn, VIC 3122, Australia

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 2, 1-24

Abstract: As our cities grow, it is important to develop policies and streetscape designs that provide pedestrians with safe comfortable walking conditions and acknowledge the challenges involved in making urban places feel liveable and safe while understanding the critical role of streets around busy destinations. To understand these challenges at a nuanced, human level, new methods of citizen engagement are needed. This paper outlines the development and application of a new citizen perception collection method, using immersive virtual environments (IVE), coupled with an interactive emoji affective activation-pleasure grid and digital slider elements, embedded within an online e-participation survey to quantify, and rank the impact of individual (single-variable) urban design elements and safe system treatments on pedestrians’ perceptions of safety and place. The results demonstrate the effectiveness of this method for providing detailed, interrogable, scalable citizen perception data of a variety of urban street design elements and safe system treatments, which allows a statistical analysis of responses and prioritization of the most effective pedestrian-oriented interventions for maintaining or enhancing street vibrancy and liveability. Our IVE e-participation approach is an important contribution to forming a better understanding of streetscapes and provides a valuable method for urban designers and transport planners to prioritise different streetscape place and safety approaches.

Keywords: immersive virtual environments; e-participation; streetscape design; safe system treatments; road safety; place making; citizen perceptions; 4D modelling; 4D analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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