This pluralistic introductory reading guide brings together foundational texts on the psychology of place, from environmental psychology and behavioural research to phenomenology, neuroarchitecture and urban studies. Ideal for architects, designers and students seeking to understand how people perceive, experience and respond to the built environment.

Urie Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (1979) provides a framework for considering the multiple, interacting settings that shape behaviour, cognition, and wellbeing across the lifespan; from immediate physical spaces to broader socio-cultural contexts.  This blog will delve into the theory, its origins, key terms, and relevance to architectural and spatial design. We will also explore how the theory applies to practical design work.

What does a staircase suggest you do? What does a bench quietly invite? In architectural design, not all communication happens through words. Some cues are built into the very shape and material of the environment itself. James J. Gibson’s Affordance Theory offers a way of understanding these unspoken signals, how we instinctively grasp what a space enables, invites, or discourages.

“Environmental Psychology”, “NeuroArchitecture”, “Environmental Design Research” are some terms used to describe human-environment relations