San Diego is currently feeling the crisis of housing for the predicted one million city dwellers migrating here in the near future. Urban housing issues are facing an upward battle with homeless population growing while housing prices continue to soar. Unaffordability, lack of housing, urban noise, smell, and light are all challenges that cause extreme stress to the residents. Evidence shows that these create and “alter neural processing of acute social stress” (Meyer-Lindenberg), a neurological response to the environment. We feel that in order to successfully create a healthy living environment, the focus should be on the individual. We believe any new urban development proposals would not be effective without taking into account the occupants’ conditions.
Research shows the chaos of urban environments, saturated with intensities such as sound, smell, light (or absence thereof), creates an immense amount of stress on the body. Many people living in crowded cities suffer from depression, loneliness, and stress, which evidence shows can alter the neural processing of acute social stress. We aim to tackle this complex problem of urban overstress by looking at the relationship between a user and their environment. Humanizing High Density can be achieved through the perspective of neuroscience where we measure the limits in the body and its correlation in the brain. For example, we know that the hippocampus in the brain is responsible for spatial memory; can we use this information to create easy navigation clues throughout the city? How loud is too loud, how narrow should an alley be, or how much ornamentation should be on our buildings to keep the brain active for goal-oriented pleasures. Statistical analysis of this data will help generate new architectural standards that give us clues about human emotions, feelings, and moods. Using current body-sensing technologies we collect data to understand intricate areas of the brain related to different spaces and events that we encounter. With this research grant, we aim to create a taxonomy of urban concerns from a neurological perspective. This research will initiate the development of the first Architectural Standards Guide from a Neurological Perspective (ASG/NP) where city officials, planners, and designers can incorporate evidentially based research data in their design process.