The effect of the built environment on human behaviour

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Abstract
A primary issue to be faced by the student of human urban behaviour is that of determinism. There is disagreement among social scientists on whether or not the human personality is partly shaped by the built environment. The main arguments are presented. The implications for planning are also discussed. If determinism is rejected, planning is merely an attempt to accommodate behaviour that will inevitably unfold and its main pre‐occupation is with the projection of this remorseless future. If it is accepted, planning becomes instead the formulation of human behaviour goals and the express manipulation of the environment with the intention of realizing these goals. Regrettably, little systematic knowledge of the effects of environment on behaviour is so far available to enlighten the latter strategy. The broad requirements for a scientific, deterministic theory of man‐environment interaction are outlined and some supporting studies reviewed. In particular, the socio‐spatial schema is proposed as a model of social psychological functioning and some applications of this approach are outlined.

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