The Aha! Experience of Spatial Reorientation

The experience of spatial re-orientation is investigated as an instance of the wellknown phenomenon of the Aha! moment. The research question is: What are the visuospatial conditions that are most likely to trigger the spatial Aha! experience? The literature suggests that spatial re-orientation relies mainly on the geometry of the environment and a visibility graph analysis is used to quantify the visuospatial information. Theories from environmental psychology point towards two hypotheses. The Aha! experience may be triggered by a change in the amount of visual information, described by the isovist properties of area and revelation, or by a change in the complexity of the visual information associated with the isovist properties of clustering coefficient and visual control. Data from participants’ exploratory behaviour and EEG recordings are collected during wayfinding in virtual reality urban environments. Two types of events are of interest here: (a) sudden changes of the visuospatial information preceding subjects' response to investigate changes in EEG power; and (b) participants brain dynamics (Aha! effect) just before the response to examine differences in isovist values at this location. Research on insights, time-frequency analysis of the P3 component and findings from navigation and orientation studies suggest that the spatial Aha! experience may be reflected by: a parietal alpha power decrease associated with the switch of the representation and a frontocentral theta increase indexing spatial processing during decision-making. Single-trial time-frequency analysis is used to classify trials into two conditions based on the alpha/theta power differences between a 3s time-period before participants’ response and a time-period of equal duration before that. Behavioural results show that participants are more likely to respond at locations with low values of clustering coefficient and high values of visual control. The EEG analysis suggests that the alpha decrease/theta increase condition occurs at locations with significantly lower values of clustering coefficient and higher values of visual control. Small and large decreases in clustering coefficient, just before the response, are associated with significant differences in delta/theta power. The values of area and revelation do not show significant differences. Both behavioural and EEG results suggest that the Aha! experience of re-orientation is more likely to be triggered by a change in the complexity of the visual-spatial environment rather than a change in the amount, as measured by the relevant isovist properties

On natural attunement:Shared rhythms between the brain and the environment

Rhythms exist both in the embodied brain and the built environment. Becoming attuned to the rhythms of the environment, such as repetitive columns, can greatly affect perception. Here, we explore how the built environment affects human cognition and behavior through the concept of natural attunement, often resulting from the coordination of a person's sensory and motor systems with the rhythmic elements of the environment. We argue that the built environment should not be reduced to mere states, representations, and single variables but instead be considered a bundle of highly related continuous signals with which we can resonate. Resonance and entrainment are dynamic processes observed when intrinsic frequencies of the oscillatory brain are influenced by the oscillations of an external signal. This allows visual rhythmic stimulations of the environment to affect the brain and body through neural entrainment, cross-frequency coupling, and phase resetting. We review how real-world architectural settings can affect neural dynamics, cognitive processes, and behavior in people, suggesting the crucial role of everyday rhythms in the brain-body-environment relationship

Assessing vulnerabilities for urban recovery solutions in Beirut post-explosion: The case of Mar Mikhael neighbourhood

On the 4th of August 2020, a large amount of ammonium nitrate stored at the port of the city of Beirut exploded, causing at least 200 deaths, over 7,000 injuries, US$3.8-4.6 billion in material damages, and the displacement of over 300,000 people. Lebanon was already suffering from a rapidly escalating financial crisis, further aggravated by the outbreak of COVID-19. This report explores the changing landscape of local vulnerabilities from pre-crisis to post-explosion focusing on the neighbourhood of Mar Mikhael, one of the areas that was heavily affected by the blast. It offers an integrated place-based analysis focusing on three of the most relevant indicators of vulnerability in Mar Mikhael: livelihoods and employment, housing security, and mental health and well-being. Vulnerabilities were investigated following the Prosperity Index work developed by the RELIEF Centre in Lebanon. We find that the current economic situation has impacted the financial wellbeing of households at every income level, albeit more so for lower-income households. NGOs have led in the assessment of building damage across all blast-affected neighbourhoods, while public bodies have been selective in their building-assessment. Housing in Mar Mikhael has on average become less affordable with fewer residents benefiting from old rent contracts. Overall, we found reduced feelings of happiness and safety, along with heightened stress levels. Residents also showed a preference for outdoor recreation activities in the neighbourhood to deal with stress, depression, or trauma post-blast, presenting opportunities for local CBOs and NGOs implementing local interventions