Architectural determinism : reviewed... and reinterpreted

Abstract

Architects and urban planners are responsible for shaping the built environment, the setting in which our lives unfold. A recurring debate within this field, concerns whether human behaviour can be modified through the design of the built environment. The concept of Architectural Determinism, suggests that the physical environment has the foremost effect on a person's behaviour, so much so that it can be used as a tool to determine it. This assumption proposes a simple 'cause and effect' relationship between environment and behaviour, an inference which this dissertation analyses in detail. Evidence of this belief is seen amidst a variety of different scenarios, tracing back from the First Industrial Revolution in the 1800's to the present day. This study explores the origins of Architectural Determinism and examines its influence in modern day design and planning. Through examining several key case studies such as the notorious Pruitt Igoe housing project in America, (which underwent a widely publicised demolition in 1972), key events including the First and Second World Wars, as well as architectural movements like Modernism, this dissertation traces this evolution and development of this theory and highlights other factors which may influence behaviour in a given environment.