Study links neighborhood visual traits to human sleep

Your neighborhood’s “streetscape”-the physical environment of your street-is something that you have probably never consciously thought about, despite seeing it every day. But what if the streetscape was affecting you on a subconscious level and disrupting your sleep? 

This intriguing question is posed by the findings of a study led by Professor Daisuke Matsushita of the Graduate School of Human Life and Ecology at Osaka Metropolitan University. The research team used AI to analyze more than 200,000 Google Street View images to identify visual neighborhood characteristics. They then linked these characteristics to the self-reported sleep of 1,089 working adults living on the lower floors of apartments in Tokyo, who were most likely to be affected by the streetscape. 

They found that those living in neighborhoods rated as having a stronger sense of safety tended to sleep longer, and that this rating appeared to be shaped by the streetscape. Generally, people slept longer in areas with lots of greenery, such as leafy trees, on the street. Similarly, high “enclosure”-meaning many tall vertical buildings and few wide-open spaces-was also associated with longer sleep and fewer insomnia symptoms. 

However, the study also made a surprising finding. The researchers found that highly walkable streetscapes, such as those with more sidewalks and traffic signs, were associated with a lowered sense of safety and shortened sleep duration. 

This suggests that walkability does not always represent a reassuring environment. Instead, a possible explanation is that streets with extensive pedestrian infrastructure are often busier, more crowded, and used by more strangers, which may be perceived as less safe or less relaxing than quieter residential streets. 

This study demonstrates the potential for evaluating streetscape characteristics across large geographic areas in a cost-effective manner. Based on the technique used in this study, cities could potentially measure perceived safety, beauty, liveliness, and enclosure as well as pollution and noise.” 

Professor Daisuke Matsushita, Graduate School of Human Life and Ecology, Osaka Metropolitan University

“We hope that opening up this new perspective creates further possibilities for designing healthier neighborhoods,” he concludes. 

The findings were published in Building and Environment.