Human Aspects of Urban Form
Towards a Man-Environment Approach to Urban Form and Design
Published on 22. October 2013
448 pages
978-1-4831-5682-8 (ISBN)
Description
Human Aspects of Urban Form: Towards a Man-Environment Approach to Urban Form and Design examines the way people perceive the city, the effects of urban forms on people, and the role of images. By adopting a man-environment approach, this book seeks to understand the importance of cities for human behavior or satisfaction. This text also considers the way given urban configurations fit people's psychological, cultural, and social needs. This book consists of six chapters and begins with an introduction to many of the concepts related to human dimensions of urban form and design. Urban design is discussed as the organization of space, time, meaning, and communication. The chapters that follow focus on the nature of the environment, cultural differences, role of values, and the concept of environmental perception as it is being used, along with the concept of image and schema. The three meanings of ""perception"" are then analyzed: the notion of environmental quality and preference as a variable concept and its constituent parts; various aspects of environmental cognition and its relation to design; and perception proper and its various aspects. Discussion then shifts to social, cultural, and ethological concepts that clarify the nature of urban space organization. This book concludes with a chapter stressing the need for people to get involved in the environment, the relationship of activity and form, and notion of open-ended design. This reference material will be of interest to students and practitioners of urban design and planning.
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Amos Rapoport
Human Aspects of Urban Form
Towards a Man-environment Approach to Urban Form and Design
Book
02/1977
Pergamon
€52.82
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Content
Preface and AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1 Urban Design as the Organization of Space, Time, Meaning and Communication The Meaning of Space Rules of Organization The Choice Model of Design Cultural Variability of Urban Environments The Role of Values in Design Environmental Perception The Perceived Environment The Excessively broad Meaning of "Perception" in the Literature Evaluation, Cognition and Perception The Distinction between Evaluation, Cognition and Perception in the Urban Environment - an Example Pros and Cons of Making These Distinctions The Filter Model The General Concept of Image and Schema The Development of the Concept of Image2 Perception of Environmental Quality - Environmental Evaluation and Preference Components of Environmental Quality Habitat Selection and Migration in Response to Environmental Preference The Variability of Standards The Problem of "Slums" Squatter Settlements3 Environmental Cognition Urban Images Cognitive Schemata and Mental Maps The Construction of Mental Maps Orientation The Subjective Definition of Areas Subjective Distance - Space and Time Subjective Urban Morphology4 The Importance and Nature of Environmental Perception The Multisensory Nature of Perception Information Approaches - Sensory Deprivation and Overload Density and Privacy in Sensory Terms Environmental Complexity The notion of Noticeable Differences Effects of Scale and Speed of Movement5 The City in Terms of Social Cultural and Territorial Variables Clustering and Urban Enclaves Socio-cultural Aspects of the City The Relevance of Ethological Concepts in the City Public and Private Domains Behavior Setting System The House-Settlement System6 The Distinction between Associational and Perceptual Worlds Symbolism and the Urban Environment Environment as Communication Culture, Symbols and Form as Ways of Coping with Overload Cross-Cultural View of the City - Differences in Form and Cultural Landscapes Designing for Cultural Pluralism The Involvement of People in Their Environment and Its ConsequencesConclusionReferencesIndex of NamesIndex of PlacesSubject Index
