Making an Urban Experience More Pleasurable?

A University of Lille laboratory study fitted 36 volunteers with Virtual Reality headsets and eye trackers. The participant's reactions to apparent variations of a minimalist concrete, glass and metal 'urban landscape', were then assessed (https://www.theguardian.com/science/2022/jun/17/greenery-and-bright-colours-in-cities-can-boost-morale-study). The study's volunteers, walked on the spot, as their 'surroundings' were modified by adding combinations of vegetation, as well as bright yellow and pink colours. The participant's blink rates were tracked to determine what interested them. Subjects walked more slowly and had an increased heart rate, when they 'saw' vegetation. They also held their heads higher and looked around more. Adding and taking away bright colours didn't have as powerful an impact but subjects appeared more curious when the patterns were apparently on the ground. The study's authors suggest that an urban experience can be made more pleasurable by introducing greenery and (to a lesser extent) bright colours. Perhaps such items will still be needed, even as we attempt to deal with the climate emergency by increasing the reflection of solar radiation, by providing more white surfaces?