Environmental Aesthetics
Theory, Research, and Application

How do people react to the visual character of their surroundings?

Jack L. Nasar (Edited by)

9780521429160, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 31 July 1992

560 pages, 111 b/w illus. 42 tables
22.7 x 15.2 x 2.6 cm, 0.741 kg

'For those seriously concerned with person-environment-behaviour relations in general, aesthetics and design in particular, this is certainly a book that should be on their reference shelf.' Environment and Behavior

How do people react to the visual character of their surroundings? What can planners do to improve the aesthetic quality of these surroundings? Too often in environmental design is misunderstood as only a minor concern, dependent on volatile taste and thus undefinable. Yet a substantial body of research indicates the importance of visual quality in the environment to the public and has uncovered systematic patterns of human response to visual attributes of the built environment. With information on the subject normally scattered between disciplines, this book provides a vital service in bringing together classic and new contributions by distinguished workers in the field.

Section I. Theory: Editor's introduction
1. Behavioral and perceptual aspects of the aesthetics of urban environments Tom F. Heath
2. Symbolic aesthetics in architecture: toward a research agenda Jon Lang
3. Prospects and refuges revisited Jay Appleton
4. Perception and landscape: conceptions and misconceptions Stephen Kaplan
5. Where cognition and affect meet: a theoretical analysis of preference Stephen Kaplan
6. The landscape of social symbols Barrie B. Greenbie
7. Open space in cities: in search of a new aesthetic Werner Nohl
8. Aesthetic perception in environmental design Arnold Berleant
Section II. Empirical studies: Editor's introduction
A. Methodological comments: Editor's introduction
9. The assessment of landscape quality: an integrative approach D. Mark Fenton and Joseph P. Reser
10. Affective appraisals of environments James A. Russell
B. Architectural interiors: Editor's introduction
11. The influence of a beautiful versus an ugly room on ratings of photographs of human faces: a replication of Maslow and Mintz Richard M. Locasso
12. The development of a usable lexicon of environmental descriptors Joyce Vielhauer Kasmar
13. Lighting-design decisions as interventions in human visual space John E. Flynn
C. Architectural exteriors: Editor's introduction
14. A study of meaning and architecture Robert G. Hershberger
15. Predicting user responses to buildings Robert G. Hershberger and Robert C. Cass
16. Dimensions in the perception of architecture: identification and interpretation of dimensions of similarity Anke Oostendorp and Daniel E. Berlyne
17. Contextual compatibility in architecture: an issue of personal taste? Linda N. Groat
D. Urban scenes: Editor's introduction
18. Visual preferences in urban street scenes: a cross-cultural comparison between Japan and the United States Jack L. Nasar
19. Perception and evaluation of residential street scenes Jack L. Nasar
20. Planning concerns relating to urban nature settings: the role of size and other physical features Janet F. Talbot
21. The effect of sign complexity and coherence on the perceived quality of retail scenes Jack L. Nasar
E. Natural and rural scenes: Editor's introduction
22. Dimensions of meaning in the perception of natural settings and their relationship to aesthetic response D. Mark Fenton
23. A cognitive analysis of preference for field-and-forest environments Thomas R. Herzog
24. The emotional quality of scenes and observation points: a look at prospect and refuge Jack L. Nasar, David Julian, Sarah Buchman, David Humphreys, and Marianne Mrohaly
25. Aesthetic preference for rural landscapes: some resident and visitor differences Brian Orland
26. Familiarity and preference: a cross-cultural analysis Rachel Kaplan and Eugene J. Herbert
Section III. Applications: Editor's introduction
27. Visual needs in urban environments and physical planning Eduardo E. Lozano
28. A survey of aesthetic controls in English-speaking countries Wolfgang F. E. Preiser and Kevin P. Rohane
29. Scenic-beauty issues in public policy making Mollie Ridout
30. Coping with aesthetics and community design in rural communities Fred A. Hurand
31. Toward theory generation in landscape aesthetics Fahriye Hazer Sancar
32. Aesthetic regulation and the courts Kenneth T. Pearlman.

Subject Areas: Psychology [JM]