Space... a new frontier! Or is it?

I was intrigued to study what I think I have taken for granted for years... the "Behavioral Aspects of Space". In our reading and class discussion I found it interesting to learn that many design professionals look at design through a very sterile lens. They have the uncanny ability to separate people from the spaces they inhabit. I personally do not feel this is possible. I suppose the years of my practical design experience in dealing with people has required me to synthesize the two... people and place/space. Nevertheless, I enjoyed putting words, concepts and theories to my intrinsic knowledge and understanding.

The behavioral aspects of space are as follows:

Territoriality: This is as it sounds. We "lay claim" to a space. My 17 year old daughter's space is her room. Once I had to take the door off her room when she abused this fact, we've never had that problem again. When we enter a room we scope out "our" seat and put our stuff down. Everybody understands that space is ours.

• Defensible Space: This was an interesting concept to me. It occurs when people lay claim to a community space and defend it as if it were theirs. We see this in particular with a community park or courtyard.
• Proxemics: We all understand this one. Have you ever had someone "get in your space"? Well that is proxemics. It is the study of the distances people maintain in different situations.
• Behavior Mapping: I've never given this much thought but I see its applications. Behavior Mapping is the study of what people "do" in specific settings. For instances, you would never see someone dancing in the isles of the grocery store. If you did you would think it strange. But you do expect them to be pushing a buggy.
• Cultural Differences: I would love to study this in more depth. Different cultures use spaces in different ways. I know these differnces exist... I woudl like to be more educated.
• Environmental: We need to always consider the impact of the built environment has on the earth. This is evident in the emergence of "Green Design".

I excited to learn that design is moving to a more integrated practice of design and understanding the dynamics of people and their built environments.

Image: Robert Sommer Personal Space: The Behavoiral Basics of Design