Book dossier

People and buildings

by Robert Gutman

"There is at the present time a continuing interest in relating the behavioral sciences to design disciplines. Sociologists and social psychologists have been added to faculties of architecture schools, where they off er seminars and participate as programming specialists and design critics in studio courses. Behavioral scientists in many European countries have collaborated with architects and planners in design work undertaken by governmental ministries, and more recently have been participating in the work of private design fi rms. Similar developments are now common in the United States. In this fascinating study of the "ecology of buildings," biologists, anthropologists, sociologists, psychologists, and architects analyze the effect of working and living spaces on human behavior. Focusing on such contemporary social problems as the influence of the physical environment on psychological stress, mental illness, family disorganization, urban violence, and delinquency, the contributors show that we must respect the constraints that the environment and the nature of man impose on human adaptability. The selections in People and Buildings have been written primarily by scientists and designers working in the behavioral mode. The selections within each part have been arranged to provide an ordered argument or exploration of the general topic with which the part as a whole deals. To facilitate the reader's appreciation of the argument, each selection is preceded by a short prefatory statement. In view of the fact that a single article or preface can hardly be representative of the depth of the literature that has developed around an argument, Gutman has included an annotated bibliography, which is keyed to the selections through the use of subheadings. A new introduction by Nathan Glazer has been prepared for this edition."--Provided by publisher.