Emotional clustered isovist. Representing the subjective urban experience

The contribution presents a method developed by the authors that associates psychological data to clustered isovists. Often, isovists of an urban environment are calculated on a 360° angle, i.e., reporting what is potentially visible from a specific point of view. If associated to a 360° isovist, these subjective reactions are related to the entire potentially visible panorama, losing the crucial relationship between the point of view and the relative angle of view generating the emotional reaction, that it is instead possible to highlight with partial isovists. Our method adopts partial isovists correlated to psychological data applied in the ‘Città Studi’ neighboorhood in Milan (Italy) using a set of 360° pannable panoramic photos coupled with a psychological questionnaire. In each observing session, the position of the observer and the direction of gaze were recorded. The data collected were clustered and analyzed using a machine learning method designed ad hoc. The results show that the emotional connotations of a place can diverge even by rotating the direction of gaze while standing in the same position. Moreover, it was possible to identify a relevant change in the emotional response between the landmark of the studied area and other neighbouring places.