The impact of urban façade quality on affective feelings
ISSN: 2631-6862
Article publication date: 25 March 2020
Issue publication date: 25 March 2020
Abstract
Purpose
Much of the current literature on streetscape design emphasizes a need for well-articulated edge conditions to enhance pedestrian-orientation and the reason appears to lie in evolutionary biology: humans have a psychological preference for wall-hugging due to a well-established trait in other species: thigmotaxis.
Design/methodology/approach
This study seeks to explore the relationship between urban facades and affective feelings through an empirical study, which asks: how do people perceive edge conditions in urban environments? Through a study of affect relative to edge conditions, greater insight can be generated as to the human experience in the built environment. We conducted a laboratory experiment with 76 subjects who each viewed 40 images of urban facades and rated each based on their emotional reaction.
Findings
Each subject also completed two validated individual trait difference measures. We found that those images depicting thigmotaxic facades were more highly rated than other facades.
Originality/value
High quality edge environment resulted in people feeling more pleasant than low quality edges.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to acknowledge research assistance provided by the following: Ann Sussman, Grace Polanski, Divya Gandhi, Tatiana Marzan, Kristina Menski, Daniel Camilletti, Chris Gallegos and Noam Saragosti. Funding for this research was provided by the New York City Department of Design and Construction under the Town+Gown Master Contract. Special thanks go to Terri Matthews, James Russell, Margaret O'Donoghue Castillo, Frederic Bell, Ifeoma Ebo, and Allison Brown, all of the NYC DDC.
Citation
Hollander, J.B. and Anderson, E.C. (2020), "The impact of urban façade quality on affective feelings", Archnet-IJAR, Vol. 14 No. 2, pp. 219-232. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARCH-07-2019-0181
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited