Urban form and human behavior in context of livable cities and their public realms

Haas, Tigran; Littke, Helene; Karimnia, Elahe

Abstract

In what ways are cities things that happen to us, and in what ways are cities things we do together, with more or less art and purpose? How do we understand both the geometries of cities and the ways that form might be connected-or not-to their social organization and politics? These are some of the reasons and potential lacunas in research which need for a cross-disciplinary approach related to urban form and social behavior and a revamped effort at uniting the disciplines of the built environment and behavioral sciences. The remarkable link between intrinsic human qualities such as behavior, conduct, and demeanor, and the external environment has been recognized for years. However, this link has not been given much consideration in the design of our built environment. This needs to change as architecture, urban planning & design are crucial for achieving true urban sustainability in our cities. Environmental psychology applies social science methods and theories to real world questions about human experience in everyday physical environments. Unlike the normative approach, it seeks to describe the world the way it is-how we use it and, in turn, how it affects our behavior-to build a knowledge base for urban design. Through a multilevel, multidisciplinary, social and spatial environmental approach we will examine relationships between characteristics of the physical environment, humans, context and human responses. It will be an evolving knowledge base for urban design decisions. There are significant reasons why planning and designing the city is so important today, maybe more than ever before. The most crucial one is that current urban development and urban living patterns are characterized by fast flows of capital, media, transport and multitasking. These are time-technology patterns are today regarded by many as ultimately unsustainable because of the destructive burden they place on the environment. One of the causes for this destructive influence is believed to be the contemporary city’s very form and structure, which urgently requires improvement. This in turn highlights the vital role of urban planning and urban design. It is therefore essential to spell out the significant contribution urban planning and design can and should make towards sustainable urban development and social life by fully understanding the consequences if and improving the city’s form and structure.
The city’s most important advantages are often said to be that it offers choice, an exciting lifestyle; it provides access to services and facilities; it has stimulating features and represents an intellectual challenge; and it offers workplaces. However, all cities are different and some offer their citizens more advantages than do others. It is the main objective of good urban planning and design to create new advantages or enhance the existing advantages a ‘good’ city and ‘good urbanity’ has to offer.

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Feb 4, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Feb 4, 2020
• Publication Date: Feb 4, 2020
• Deposit Date: Oct 19, 2022
• Journal: Scholarly Journal of Psychology and Behavioral Sciences
• Electronic ISSN: 2641-1768
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 3
• Issue: 4
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.32474/sjpbs.2020.03.000167
• Keywords: Human behavior, cities, public realms
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/10100599
• Publisher URL: https://lupinepublishers.com/psychology-behavioral-science-journal/fulltext/urban-form-and-human-behavior-in-context-of-livable-cities-and-their-public-realms.ID.000167.php