Description
This book was first published in 1977. In bringing together psychology and urban design there is always the risk of alienating specialists in both fields. The psychologist may resent the failure to observe the strict rigour of his subject, whilst the urban designer may be put off by such rigour as exists. In such a book as this, it is only possible briefly to refer to the research that has prompted these ideas. The author hopes the references will be taken up by those who have an intrinsic interest in the psychological theory. The aim is to apply different aspects of psychology to the problem of urban design in an attempt to probe into how it is that some towns and cities offer pleasure in many dimensions.
Table of Contents
Part One: A Psychological Scenario
1. Strategy and apologia
2. Environment as medium
3. The passive environment?
4. Monotony in reverse
5. Mind before environment
6. The attitudinal model
7. Left, right and centre
8. Images in still waters
9. Emotional needs and remedies
10. Viva vulgarity! and other limbic values
11. Line and shape
12. Colour and texture
Part Two: Towards a Concept of Value
13. The aesthetic matrix
14. Values in the aesthetic equation
15. Aesthetics and emotion
16. The aesthetics of symbolism
17. Idealized distance
18. Inductive space
19. The gate and the arch
20. The maze factor and urban accents
21. Socially intensive urban space
22. Epitome urbanism
Part Three: From Theory to Practice
23. The city and optimal mutation
24. Images and fantasies
25. The architect and the city
26. Recent endeavours
27. Interstitial architecture
28. Interstitial tactics
29. Urban contrasts
30. Encore to aesthetics
31. Towards the 'care and culture of man'
