The exp-EIA© (experiential Environmental Impact Assessment) method for assessing people’s reaction to an environment in its existing or designed condition was developed within the “AR4CUP – Augmented Reality for Collaborative Urban Planning” EIT Digital Horizon 2020 European Projects (2019 and 2020). The method is also inserted in the City Sense app developed contextually.
exp-EIA© & City Sense Events
2022 Sept. – ongoing | “Experiencing the university campuses” (Milan – Italy)
Within the framework of the NextGenerationEU – PNRR – Innovation Ecosystems “MUSA – Multilayered Urban Sustainability Action” Spoke 1 “Urban Regeneration – Cities of Tomorrow“ project, a series of events and data collection using the exp-EIA method are organized by Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI – MUSA T 1.4) and Università degli Studi di Milano (UNIMI – MUSA T 1.3).
04.2023 “Experiencing Bicocca – piazza della Scienza”
For two weeks, participants experienced the walk from the Bicocca train station to piazza della Scienza, ending at the tram station. Their feedback regarding the psychological experience was collected using the City Sense mobile app, based on the exp-EIA© methodology; in the meanwhile, a series of physiological data were collected to detect the variances of the experience in motion along the path. A set of environmental data was also collected to be studied together with the psycho\physiological data.
15.08.2022 “Experiencing Città Studi”
The event concerns an experiential walk passing in and out of the Campus Leonardo of the Politecnico di Milano (POLIMI) University in the “Città Studi” district of Milan, Italy. The City Sense mobile app, based on the exp-EIA© methodology, was used to collect users’ feedback about the urban experience.
Related publication
Piga, B. E. A., Rainisio, N., Stancato, G., & Boffi, M. (2023). Mapping the In-Motion Emotional Urban Experiences: An Evidence-Based Method. Sustainability, 15(10), Article 10. https://doi.org/10.3390/su15107963
Funded by the European Union—NextGenerationEU under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) Mission 4 Component 2 Investment Line 1.5: Strenghtening of research structures and creation of R&D “innovation ecosystems”, set up of “territorial leaders in R&D”, MUSA —Multilayered Urban Sustainability Action — project.
01 DEC 2022 | “Experiencing via Conservatorio” (Milan – Italy)
within SNAMS-2022: 9th International Conference on Social Networks Analysis, Management and Security – Co-Sponsored by IEEE Italy Section
A walk using the City Sense app with the exp-EIA method was done during the research workshop, and the real-time analysis of the collected data was discussed with international and interdisciplinary researchers, producing remarkable insights, and opening discussions for further innovations of the method and its application.
The international research workshop was developed within the SNAMS-2022 conference.
Within the same conference, on 30/12/2022, Barbara Piga gave a Keynote Speech presenting the approach and the exp-EIA© method.
20-25 JUNE 2022 | “Experiencing Nantes. A psycho-architectural approach to urban design” (France)
The international workshop offers an innovative and interdisciplinary perspective on theoretical and methodological aspects in the field of urban simulation and urban design. It emphasizes the contribution given by architecture, informatics, and psychology in developing places conjugating human wellbeing and environmental sustainability. The approach is consistent with the notion of human-centered design, which considers subjective emotional, cognitive, behavioral, and sensory aspects to describe the relationship of people with the environment. A specific focus is devoted to VR/AR simulation techniques as a support for co-design activities.
The workshop is strictly connected to European Project “AR4CUP: Augmented Reality for Collaborative Urban Planning” 2019 and 2020 and will apply the exp-EIA© (experiential Environmental Impact Assessment) method within the City Sense app, i.e. the two main outcomes of the AR4CUP project.
Call for participants \ Politecnico di Milano: Dettaglio Corso (polimi.it)
Flyer \ ExperiencingNantes_2022_Flyer_Abstract_Program.pdf
Previous events \ exp-EIA© & City Sense Events
09-17/05/2022 | “Experiencing parklet Juiz de Fora” (Brazil)
Students of the Federal University of Juiz de Fora (Brazil) provided their feedback on the new parklet solution. They experienced the area in the presence and in Virtual Reality (360° immersive panoramas) using the exp-EIA© web-app.
24/03/2022 | “Experiencing San Faustino Park” (Milan)
Citizens of all ages joined the survey to assess the (visual) Post Monitoring Evaluation using the exp-EIA method through the dedicated web-platform with 360° panoramas.
A former data collection was held on 05/05/2021
Related Publications
Boffi, M., Pola, L., Fumagalli, N., Fermani, E., Senes, G., & Inghilleri, P. (2021). Nature Experiences of Older People for Active Ageing: An Interdisciplinary Approach to the Co-Design of Community Gardens. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 4175. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.702525
Fumagalli, N., Fermani, E., Senes, G., Boffi, M., Pola, L., & Inghilleri, P. (2020). Sustainable Co-Design with Older People: The Case of a Public Restorative Garden in Milan (Italy). Sustainability, 12(8), 3166. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083166
08-17/03/2022 | “Experiencing ENOTA Park” (Atlanta, USA)
Citizens of Atalanta provided their feedback on the design solution of the Enota Park of Atlanta. The design transforms the small Enota Park play-lot into an 8-acre greenspace that will include active, passive, and woodland recreational areas adjacent to the Westside Trail of the Atlanta Beltline Trail loop. This survey is administered by the university Politecnico di Milano as part of a collaborative urban planning research project* and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Atlanta BeltLine, Inc.
08/07/2021 | AR4CUP WINNER of the LAVAL VIRTUAL AWARD
The Horizon 2020 EIT Digital “AR4CUP: Augmented Reality for Collaborative Urban Planning” (POLIMI – DAStU – labsimurb: coordinator B.Piga) won the First Prize of the LAVAL AWARD EUROPE 2021 (23rd edition) (23rd Ed.) as XR4CUP as the best project of the “Service” category.
The project developed a Software as a Service (SaaS), commercially named City Sense, for supporting the design and evaluation phases of urban transformations with a participatory human-centered approach (exp-EIA©). By coupling architecture and representation, environmental and social psychology, data mining, and artificial intelligence this innovative solution enables to assess the experience of existing or designed places on-site via Augmented Reality and off-site via Virtual Reality. Laval Virtual promotes creators of Extended Reality (XR) solutions worldwide by recognizing outstanding Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality projects and their creators. Here are the finalists and winners of all categories: www.laval-virtual.com/laval-virtual-awards-nominees-2021.
12/05/2021 | “COSTRUIRE IL LUOGO IN CUI VORREMMO VIVERE“
May 12th , 2021exp-EIA© – experiential Environmental Impact Assessment
(Copyright BOIP N. 123453 – 06.05.2020 & Copyright BOIP N. 130516 – 25.02.2021)
24-26/03/2021 | “Experiencing Sabadell – Carrer de Perez Moya” (Spain)
Durante l’evento “Experiencing the City of Today and Tomorrow”, parte della Milano Digital Week, sarà presentata l’app City Sense, esito dei progetti Europei AR4CUP 2019 e 2020. Durante tutto il periodo della Digital Week sarà possibile esplorare via smartphone alcuni spazi urbani e raccontare il proprio punto di vista tramite la Realtà Virtuale e Aumentata.Video teaser di presentazione dell’app:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X3iaYGCOtIs
Video dell’evento di presentazione del metodo Exp-EIA©️ & CitySense: https://youtu.be/q1VlChM_meQ
02-09-21/12/2020 | “Experiencing THE SIGN” (Milan, Italy)
Durante l’evento “Experiencing THE SIGN” è stato presentato il progetto di rigenerazione urbana The Sign sviluppato da Covivio con Progetto CMR e il progetto europeo H2020 EIT Digital (Digital Cities) AR4CUP, applicato in fase sperimentale su The Sign.
Durante “Experiencing THE SIGN” sarà possibile visualizzare in modo interattivo, tramite l’app AR4CUP in modalità Realtà Virtuale, il progetto The Sign.
22/10/2020 | “Experiencing Città Studi – 2020” (Milan, Italy)
16/12/2019 | “Experiencing VITAE“(Milan, Italy)
Lunedi 16 Dicembre 2019 (11.00 – 14.30)
Auditorium dell’HQ Fastweb
piazza Olivetti 1 – Milano
Il progetto europeo “AR4CUP: Augmented Reality for Collaborative Urban Planning” verrà applicato in fase sperimentale su “VITAE” (Reinventing Cities) durante l’evento dedicato “Experiencing VITAE”, organizzato da labsimurb (B.Piga) con Covivio.
Related Publications
Piga, B. E. A., Stancato, G., Rainisio, N., & Boffi, M. (2021). How Do Nature-Based Solutions’ Color Tones Influence People’s Emotional Reaction? An Assessment via Virtual and Augmented Reality in a Participatory Process. Sustainability, 13(23), 1–25. https://doi.org/10.3390/su132313388
Piga, B. E. A., Boffi, M., Rainisio, N., & Stancato, G. (2019). Augmented Reality for Co-Design: The Perspective of Real Estate Developers, Architectural Firms, And Public Administrations. In J. Cladera oca & R. Biere Arenas (Eds.), Challenges and paradigms of the contemporary city—CTV 2019 International Conference on Virtual City and Territory (pp. 1–13). http://dx.doi.org/10.5821/ctv.8622
The AR4CUP project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the grant agreement EIT Digital 2019 AR4CUP | Augmented Reality for Collaborative Urban Planning – The sole responsibility of this publication lies with the author. The European Union is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.