An Experimental Approach to Urban Design

Abstract

This paper attempts to clarify the role of urban design, in relation to the other “environmental” design disciplines, through an examination of the applicability of standard cognitive testing techniques to an urban situation. Drawing from the theory of perception as well as from a recent experiment, the author demonstrates what appears to be a close correlation between the, spatial qualities of “streets” and “squares” and the responses they elicit. Some doubt is cast upon the perceptual strength of traditional architectural elements, and a strategy for further research is suggested.