Course Description
Although we do not always recognize it, we are deeply affected by the physical world around us. To understand our daily experiences of place, and what makes successful places work, we must consider our relationship to our surroundings carefully. In this course, we will explore the reciprocal nature of our relationships with place. We will consider both how our environment affects our daily lives, but also how we, in turn, shape our environments.
This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to exploring people in a physical context, bringing together resources in the social sciences (psychology, geography, anthropology, sociology) and the design disciplines (landscape architecture, architecture and urban planning) to provide a richer understanding of the complex dynamic between people and their physical surroundings.
This course will explore the human experience of place by examining an array of critical issues. In this class, the environment is broadly conceived to include not only our physical surroundings (both natural and built) but also the larger, socio-cultural and political milieu in which we live. Starting with foundational theories on place attachment and place identity, the course will cover central issues that inform urban ecological design, including our relationships to nature, landscape preferences, territoriality, urban growth and sprawl, and the appearance, meanings and uses of urban public space. We will conclude with a closer look at design processes and the ways in which they can be enriched through an interdisciplinary perspective. In addressing these issues, the course will provide a critical framework for understanding the role of the environment in our everyday lives.