From Perception to Appraisal: Hierarchical Brain Responses to Natural and Built Features in Urban Environments

Exposure to urban rather than natural environments has been linked to elevated stress and diminished well-being, prompting interest in the underlying mechanisms and influences of specific urban elements. This study investigated how semantic and lower-level visual characteristics of urban scenes influence subjective experience and underlying neural processes. A total of 63 adults viewed street-level photographs depicting urban environments with varying proportions of vegetation, buildings, vehicles, and sky visibility while electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded. Subjective ratings indicated that urban scenes with more greenery compared to built elements were consistently perceived as more positive. In terms of lower-level image features, images with higher non-straight edge density also led to scenes being perceived as more positive. In contrast, a more visible sky area and a higher mean metric depth led to more negative scene appraisal. On a neural level, urban scenes with higher greenery/built ratios enhanced visual evoked P1 amplitudes, while higher straight-edge density led to more pronounced N1 amplitudes. Further analysis showed that later P3 and LPP components predicted subjective ratings on higher-level evaluative but not basic affective dimensions. These results partially replicate previous studies, suggesting that urban greenery exerts an effect on subjective well-being and influences early visual processing. Moving forward, Neuro-Urbanism research should employ more diversified stimuli and leverage immersive or in situ paradigms to refine our understanding of the relationship between greenery in urban environments and well-being to inform evidence-based urban design strategies. HighlightsO_LIHigher proportions of greenery in urban environments lead to more positive responses across a variety of subjective rating scales. C_LIO_LIMore urban greenery elicited more pronounced P1 amplitudes, replicating previous findings. C_LIO_LIEarliest visual processing (P1) responds to natural elements of the environment, before processing of visual features characteristic of artificial elements (N1). C_LIO_LILater ERP components (P3, LPP) predict subjective scene appraisal of higher level and aesthetic evaluation, pointing to a hierarchical separation between perceptual and evaluative processes. C_LI