Biosensor data, participatory methods, and urban design

Abstract

The objective of this paper is to explore the application of biosensing techniques in participatory approaches to urban design, namely community mapping and scenario-elicitation. Wearable biosensors, such as electrodermal activity sensors or electroencephalograms, are increasingly used in the study of the sensory, emotional and cognitive experience of urban space (Osborne, 2022). This is happening in tandem with a growing number of experiments in emotion-sensitive urban design and planning, in which biosensor data can produce more precise and accurate information on bodily reactions to the urban environment (Birenboim et al., 2019. However, albeit unintentionally, biosensor data has often been used in ways that marginalize the voices of participants, which is problematic in the context of urban design and planning as it might lead to technocratic and exclusionary interventions (Paiva et al., 2023). With this in mind, rather than focusing exclusively on biodata, we aim to further explore the potential of biosensor data for established participatory methods in urban research, following recent calls for making biosensing studies more participatory (Willis & Nold 2022). We draw on a study conducted in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, in which a total of 25 urban dwellers participated in a series of participatory mobile biosensing workshops which aimed to debate urban regeneration interventions in two main streets, namely Avenida da Igreja (Alvalade, Lisboa) and Rua Pulido Valente (Colinas do Cruzeiro, Odivelas). The workshops included two stages. First, participants were invited to walk individually through the main street wearing a GPS tracker and an Empatica E4 Wristband, which captured their electrodermal activity in real time. Secondly, participants took part in a collective workshop, in which they were invited to engage in a collective emotional mapping session, and to construct and debate urban regeneration intervention scenarios based on the emotional mapping. The findings of this study highlight the main opportunities and challenges that might arise when introducing biosensing techniques in participatory methodologies. We argue that focusing on the potential of biodata to improve the capacity of urban citizens for reflecting and communicating their own urban experience is a crucial step to guarantee that biosensing approaches can contribute toward more inclusive cities.