Urban scale refers to the different spatial levels at which the city is organized and analyzed, ranging from the street and public space to the neighborhood, district, or system of cities within a territory. Understanding urban scales allows for a comprehensive approach to urban processes, recognizing how design, planning, and management decisions influence the form and functioning of the built environment and the everyday life of its inhabitants.

Kevin Lynch. (1981). A theory of good city form. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

Public space refers to the set of accessible and shared areas within the city—such as streets, squares, parks, or corridors—where social, cultural, and everyday activities take place. Beyond its physical dimension, public space functions as a setting for interaction and perception, shaping social cohesion, urban identity, and the experience of the environment.

Gehl, J. (2010). Cities for people. Washington, DC: Island Press.

Environmental stress is the physiological and psychological response experienced by individuals when exposed to adverse environmental conditions such as noise, pollution, overcrowding, or sensory overstimulation. In urban contexts, this phenomenon can affect mental health, behavior, and quality of life, highlighting the importance of designing more balanced and healthy environments.

Evans, G. W. (2003). The built environment and mental health. Journal of Urban Health, 80(4), 536–555.

Embodied experience refers to the lived experience of space through the moving body, integrating sensations, perceptions, and emotions. This concept emphasizes that architecture and the city are experienced in a multisensory and dynamic way, where the body acts as a mediator between the environment and consciousness.

Merleau-Ponty, M. (1945). Phenomenology of perception. Paris: Gallimard.

Urban experience is the subjective lived experience of the urban environment, constructed through perception, memory, emotion, and social interaction. This concept recognizes that the city is not only physically inhabited, but also interpreted and felt, shaping individual and collective meanings that influence the relationship with space.

Lynch, K. (1960). The image of the city. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.