VR-Sense · Responsive VR for urban sustainability: Promoting inclusion through affect-aware and behaviour-sensitive immersion

VR-Sense is a proof-of-concept project that explores how virtual reality (VR) can be harnessed to promote sociopolitical aims. Urban planning is currentVR-Sense is a proof-of-concept project that explores how virtual reality (VR) can be harnessed to promote inclusive urban development and foster peaceful coexistence. Building on the ERC Starting Grant project EmergentCommunity, which combined experimental emotion research with qualitative studies on urban life, VR-Sense investigates how immersive technologies can be made diversity-informed, affect-aware, and ethically sustainable. The project focuses on integrating knowledge of everyday emotions and place-attachment with emerging digital tools. Thus, it aims to enhance the development of human-centric VR-based solutions in urban planning.Current VR applications in urban contexts often lack sensitivity to social dynamics and the diversity of emotional and lived experiences. VR-Sense addresses this gap by developing immersive experiences that respond to users’ interactions with urban space, aiming to support reflexivity and affect-aware approaches rather than simulating others’ experiences. The proposed solution enables the creation of VR experiences that use time-sensitive data thus topping current applications in real-time responsiveness. In addition, the project emphasizes real-world relevance by grounding its approach in lived urban scenarios and by partnering with prospective end-users: municipalities, NGOs, and urban planning companies. Thus, the project bears high potential for societal impact and social innovation.Through technical validation, ethical review, and stakeholder collaboration, VR-Sense will assess the feasibility of socially attuned VR applications. The outcome will include a prototype and a roadmap for societal impact and potential commercialization, contributing to the development of human-centric digital solutions in line with European initiatives for resilient and inclusive cities.