Cyclone Alley

Abstract

This project includes a design proposal for the residential and commercial back alley between Storm Street and Lincoln way. It will use two VIP groups to supplement the research for the final design of the alley space. The first Vertically Integrated Project group, City Leisure and Play, analyses and codes human behavior in urban spaces, specifically green alleys, through YouTube videos in Chicago. The second VIP group creates VR tasks to research biomarkers of stress in the built environment; for example faster heart rate, salivation, sweat can all be responses to visual and auditory stressors. For the VR task, there will be a "control" back alleyway simulation, 7 minutes long, and a matching "stressful" simulation. The results of these research groups will form the basis for the design of the alley. The goals of the proposal will be to give Campustown, and this linear residential area specifically, an identity as well as promote prosocial activity among the residents and visitors of the alley.