Aghanejad et al. 2026
How does the design of our cities affect our stress levels?
The FragMent team explored this question by asking 50 adults to walk through virtual versions of an urban park and a busy street. Participants felt significantly less stressed, safer and more relaxed in the park. Researchers also measured physical responses, including heart rate, sweating and pupil size. When a virtual fire truck sounded its siren, changes in sweating and pupil size helped detect an immediate stress response. The findings suggest that virtual reality could help urban planners understand how streets affect wellbeing and design healthier, less stressful urban spaces.
