Impact of Streetscapes on Anxiety: A Physiological Evidence

Urbanization has shown a significant impact on the mental health of people in current times. Growing research evidence shows that the street as an urban space may have an impact on people's mental health, either positively or negatively. Anxiety is a common mental health issue affecting people psychologically and physiologically. Few studies have highlighted the psychological impact of specific streetscape elements, but there is a significant research gap in exploring the associated physiological impact of such urban settings on people. This exploratory study involves nine mentally and physically healthy participants walking at stable speed for 5–10 min on the four selected commercial neighborhood streets in Delhi, India, with baseline measurements done before the walk to evaluate the psychological and physiological effects of the streetscapes (identified for study) on anxiety. During the walk, heart rate and heart rate variability were continuously measured to assess the physiological impact of anxiety, and STAIS-5, I-PANAS-SF, and anxiety-based likert scale questionnaires were used to measure the psychological responses. Each walk ended with a post-walk interview of the participants. The results were compared among the streets. The analysis indicates relatively higher positive psychological responses, heart rate variability, and lower heart rate on street with wider sidewalk, comparatively better green quality, façade permeability, and traffic buffer. However, the heart rate showed a minimal change across the streets. Negative responses to the psychological tests and lower heart rate variability were observed for two streets with low green quality and less walking space. The study analyzes further to explain the experiential quality of the streets with the significant elements impacting anxiety levels. The conclusion highlights this work as scientific evidence of which streetscape elements and qualities may significantly impact anxiety.