Democratizing Urban Well-being: A Virtual Reality and Eye-Tracking Analysis of Biophilic Interventions Across Socioeconomic Contexts

This study investigates the psychological and attentional impact of biophilic urban interventions using an immersive virtual reality (VR) framework integrated with real-time eye-tracking. Specifically, it examines whether bio-aesthetic enhancements can mitigate perceptual inequalities across neighborhoods of varying socioeconomic status (SES). Sixteen participants viewed original and digitally enhanced fixed-viewpoint 360° videos of Low-, Medium-, and High-SES environments while a comprehensive suite of oculomotor dynamics and psychometric responses were recorded. Results confirmed a significant Condition × SES interaction across both subjective preference (Liking) and aesthetic evaluation, identifying biophilic design as a "socio-perceptual equalizer": while baseline ratings consistently favored High-SES areas, interventions in Low-SES contexts yielded the highest marginal gains, effectively bridging the gap with privileged environments. Eye-tracking metrics revealed that this convergence is mechanistically driven by active visual engagement ("Nature Gaze"), with enhanced Low-SES scenes eliciting the highest fixation counts and visual coverage. However, a critical dissociation emerged between immediate affective improvement and objective stress reduction. Elevated saccadic velocities observed in high-contrast Low-SES interventions suggest a state of "hard fascination" or novelty-induced arousal. This implies that while biophilia boosts positive affect rapidly, physiological restoration is a dose-dependent process, requiring sufficient exposure duration to transition from curiosity-driven scanning to the "soft fascination" necessary for stress recovery. These findings validate integrated XR analytics as a high-fidelity tool for evidence-based urban design and support the equigenic hypothesis.