Abstract
The relationship between humans and their built environments is foundational to the fields of planning, architecture, and design. While the psychological and physical aspects of this relationship have been a topic of research for some time, in Cognitive Architecture, the authors Ann Sussman and Justin Hollander propose that the evolutionary mechanisms that drive human behavior should also be taken into consideration in the development and design of our built environments. The book explains the subconscious tendencies, preferences, and quirks of human behavior, utilizing current research founded in both neuroscience and psychology. The authors argue that these tendencies, which are a result of thousands of years of evolution, should be driving the design of our own built environment to create engaging and meaningful places. Rather than develop best practices through post-occupancy evaluations or assessments, the book establishes guidelines that planners and practitioners can utilize to preemptively predict community reaction to proposed projects based on universal cognitive tendencies prior to their design and execution.
In the authors’ words, the thesis of this book is that “the more we understand how human beings are an artifact of Darwin’s theory of evolution, the more creatively and successfully we will be able to design and plan for them” (1). In this regard, Cognitive Architecture outlines a set of four guiding principles that can be used to design an urban environment that not only responds to the subconscious cognitive aspects of human preference, but also creates more vibrant and engaging places by acknowledging these often overlooked preferences. Building upon theories and best practices previously established by researchers in planning and architecture from Vitruvius to Jane Jacobs, the book offers cognitively based explanations for the phenomena driving those established theories. Through these explanations, a wide array of readers can gain knowledge in how to integrate the human preferences that evolved for survival in a natural environment into the design and construction of the built environment.
Cognitive Architecture is divided into six chapters, four of which directly address the book’s primary thesis, creating a text that can be used effectively as a manual or handbook for readers. The inclusion of more than a hundred illustrations, photographs, and figures serves to demonstrate the book’s main principles and arguments, coupled with case studies and exercises to challenge the reader to recognize the principles at work in their own environment. In the introductory chapter, “A New Foundation: Darwin, Biology, and Cognitive Science,” the authors introduce the important role that evolution played in creating universal cognitive tendencies that affect human’s relationship to both the natural and the built environment. This chapter also provides an overview of the remainder of the book, introducing the reader to their primary focus and implications for the built environment.
Chapter two, “Edges Matter: Thigmotaxis (the Wall-hugging Trait),” revolves around the concept of thigmotaxis, or the human tendency to gravitate towards the edges or “walls” of spaces to create a feeling of safety. This “wall-hugging trait” is one that is imperative to understand and take to heart for urban designers and planners. More specifically, this tendency to gravitate towards defined edges makes urban “outdoor rooms” created though the surrounding buildings’ arrangement, scale, and proportioning appealing to people. Thigmotaxis is just one example of pedestrian behavior that is well documented by planners and researchers such as Jacobs, Whyte, and Alexander. However, in light of the information presented in this chapter, what was before seen as quirks of pedestrian behavior are more than just tendencies, but are instead instinctive and evolutionary results of human development. Perhaps the most effective portion of this chapter is a focus on “Thigmotaxis in action” using three case studies to compare how effectively designers applied this principle within the urban environment. The cases present developments that successfully utilize the principle of thigmotaxis in their designs, as well as those that do not, and evaluate the conditions and results of each. These case study examples emphasize how understanding and addressing human cognitive tendencies in the design of urban environments can improve their quality.
The second chapter, “Patterns Matter: Faces and Spaces,” focuses on the primary sense, sight, and the supremacy of vision in human’s perception and understanding of the world. It is the sense of sight, and especially the ability to perceive and recognize facial features that has ensured human survival. Discussing pareidolia, human’s natural “tendency to assemble faces in random objects,” this chapter relates the importance of this tendency and its relevance to the built environment, as people begin to see faces and human features in buildings. The authors highlight that the recognition of faces triggers emotional responses from people, and as such can increase feelings of attachment to the urban environment.
In the third chapter, “Shapes Carry Weight: Bilateral Symmetry, (Hierarchy), Curves, and Complexity,” the importance of patterns is examined more deeply, looking not just at facial features but also human preferences to additional patterns, shapes, and hierarchies. This chapter discusses human’s preferences for bilateral symmetry, curves, and ordered complexity within observed patterns, and how these preferences have influenced architectural designs and styles. Additionally, understanding these preferred patterns might also give some insight into commonly preferred architectural styles or building types.
The next chapter, “Storytelling Is Key: We’re Wired for Narrative,” shifts focus slightly to address the importance of human’s imagination and creativity in relation to our environments. Building upon the previous three principles, this chapter contextualizes the importance of these human predispositions in developing meaningful narratives, which allow people to orient their place within the urban context. Unlike the evolutionary tendencies previously discussed, the adaptive ability of humans to create stories and narrative sets humans apart from other species on the planet. The authors argue that this unique quality should influence the way in which designers and planners organize space. They also provide examples of how this principle could be very effectively implemented through participatory and charrette-based planning exercises. Specifically, the work produced through the authors’ collaborative Open Neighborhood Project is used to demonstrate the importance of community engagement and creativity to introduce narrative and story-telling to the design of communities.
The final chapter, “Nature Is Our Context: Biophilia and Biophilic Design,” orients the previous chapters within their uniting context, the natural world. The authors discuss the evolutionary need to connect with other living things, coined “biophilia.” Though biophilic design, planners recognize the importance of human’s connections to nature and their environment, and strive to promote such a connection in urban design and development. In this chapter, the authors also address the book’s implications for the practice, policy, and theory of planning and design. In terms of practice, the implications are the clearest, as practitioners can begin to integrate the four outlined principles into established methods and strategies for design. Through this approach, the viability and success of proposed projects can be increased. The implications of the book in terms of planning and development policy are described more broadly, primarily through changes and adjustments to local land use regulations to reflect human’s innate tendencies. This could be accomplished using the four outlined principles as a foundational element in the adoption of land-use and zoning codes, as well as design regulations. Finally, the theoretical implications of the work could result in a subtle but significant shift in the evaluation and understanding of what creates a great place, using the evolutionary-based principles as a metric and a guideline.
Cognitive Architecture deftly explains the human tendencies and behaviors that are instinctive and innate, challenging the reader to actively recognize and utilize these truths to consciously design a high-quality built environment. The book is compelling, written in a style that is both straightforward and engaging. While the text is founded in planning and architectural theory, the introduction of research grounded in fields of neurology, psychology, and anthropology adds additional credence to their importance for planning and design beyond anecdotal observation. The exercises and case studies that accompany each chapter make this book one that can be used by academics, practitioners, and community members alike, increasing the book’s applicability to the future of design as well as its accessibility. However, while the authors briefly address the implications for practice, policy, and theory, a more thorough discussion of these issues would increase the usefulness of the text as a manual for readers to apply the book’s central premises to future design and development. Additionally, an expanded section of exercises or a preliminary checklist to begin implementing the outlined principles in one’s community would be invaluable. Such an addition would increase the viability of the text to not only address the implications for policy and practice but also become a vehicle for effecting such change.
Cognitive Architecture expands the dialogue relating to communities and the urban environment by integrating research from seemingly unrelated fields into the design discourse. As a result of this approach, the book is one that is relevant across a wide array of disciplines, either situated in design or within other fields. In this regard, the book can also add an additional layer of depth and context to other social disciplines that evaluate the cognitively based relationships between people and their environments, including environmental psychology, place attachment, and even tourism. The interdisciplinary nature of Cognitive Architecture makes it a very versatile and practical work that encourages a new way of understanding the human relationship with both the natural and built environment, and as a result a new way of approaching the development of our communities.