Investigating urban perception using procedural street generation and virtual reality

Abstract: As virtual reality and interaction possibilities in game technology evolve and become more user-friendly, accessible and cheaper, this technology suddenly gets useful in occupational areas that traditionally have not used them, one being urban planning. By using a game engine and a virtual neighborhood that utilizes procedural generation the user has the option of having a cost-effective, replicable environment with great control from the user.  According to the Broken Windows Theory small differences in appearance can have a big impact on how an urban neighborhood will be perceived. Therefore it would be interesting to investigate how the perception of street scenes is affected by the different aesthetic properties of dirt, graffiti, broken windows, building height and greenery (trees and bushes). By implementing a virtual neighborhood that utilizes procedural generation the basic structure of the neighborhood can stay the same, while separately adjusting the specific properties that are being evaluated. Through surveys and interviews the results show that every one of the chosen properties are very significant except for building height. Generally the more trees that were present, the more safe the neighborhood felt, and the order of significance of dirt, graffiti and broken windows differed between the two evaluation methods.