Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
The
The Built
Built Environment
Environment and
and
Wellbeing:
Wellbeing: An
An International
International
Symposium
Symposium
University
University of
of Warwick
Warwick
March
March 2009
2009
Why a Symposium?
Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
• Much interest in built environment
and wellbeing from policy makers
and practitioners, but relatively little
research has been carried out
• Overall objective of Symposium is to
explore how we can support,
promote, facilitate and raise the
profile of research in this emerging
field
Why research needed
Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
• Need to build/create sustainable
developments and communities
– Push for higher-density, urban
development, for environmental reasons
– but people don’t want it. How do we
make it more attractive?
– Sustainability now embraces social and
health aspects so development needs to
optimise quality of life and wellbeing
– Need to encourage more sustainable
lifestyles, e.g. walking and cycling more.
How can we do this? Can neighbourhood
design make a difference?
Why research needed
Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
• We know that built environments
have significant impacts on people –
on their health, wellbeing and quality
of life
• Environments are being designed
and built all the time without an
understanding of how they will affect
their users
Why research needed
Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
• Huge government investment in built
environment through Sustainable
Communities Plan – Eco-Towns and
regeneration – provides opportunities
for change
• Shift in emphasis within health
disciplines to creating healthy
communities and prevention of illhealth (renewed interest in built
environment within public health,
esp. because of obesity)
Why research needed
Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
• Focus on inclusive design, with
Disability Discrimination Act and
social model of disability
• Evidence would enable funders and
clients to decide on the most
effective health/wellbeing
interventions, whether built
environment or medical
• Growing gap between designers and
users
Why research needed
Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
• Even a good designer can get it
wrong – no architect knows intuitively
what would suit everyone
• Environments are for lots of different
people and future generations so it’s
not enough just to satisfy immediate
client’s needs (or to have
participatory design)
Why so little research?
Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
• Architectural education and practice
is not evidence- or research-based
• Value placed on originality rather
than tried and tested models
• Architecture seen mostly as an ‘art’,
with little consideration of users’
wellbeing
– Students encouraged to think about
buildings as sculpture
– What ‘the masses’ like is despised!
Why so little research?
Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
• Architectural quality based on
abstract theories, e.g. architectural
‘honesty’, geometric patterns
• Prizes and awards reinforce
architecture as art
• Fear of ‘architectural determinism’
and of repeating the failures of
‘60s/’70s Modernism
What challenges?
Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
• Research on people and built
environments is very difficult to do
• Environments are very complex
• Many aspects are subjective and
difficult to measure (e.g. beauty)
• We have only a limited language for
describing our environments and
people are not used to articulating
their feelings about them
What challenges?
Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
• Likely that effects of the built
environment vary with individual
characteristics and circumstances
but need to design to suit everyone
• Almost impossible to carry out
controlled trials or experiments
• Need to understand how individual
design elements work together
• There are many factors other than
the built environment that affect
people’s wellbeing
What challenges?
Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
• Difficult to distinguish between
associations that are due to selection
bias and those that are causal in
origin
• Need to take into account other
requirements – e.g. budget,
environment
• Need to allow for creative and
imaginative solutions?
• Recognising that the influence of the
built environment might be very small
What challenges?
Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
• Difficult to get it funded – doesn’t fall
neatly into one area of responsibility
• Not a well developed research
tradition so few tried and tested
methods
– Tends to be cross-disciplinary
– Is there such a thing as architectural
research?
Symposium aims
Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
• To provide the opportunity to step
back and consider progress in this
emerging field of research
• To find out more about other people’s
research in this area
• To examine the role and focus of
different disciplines engaging in the
field
• To explore the potential of different
methods and approaches for carrying
out this research
Symposium aims
Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
• To explore perceptions of barriers
and problems in trying to carry out
this research
• To identify possible solutions and
strategies for increasing capacity in
the field
• To foster collaborations
• To consider the creation of an
international research network
More . . .
Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
• We want everyone to enjoy
themselves!
• We are aware that participants may
feel wary about sharing ideas – we
expect everyone to act with integrity
so there can be open discussion
• We value the contribution of every
participant
• We would like as much informal
interaction and participation as
possible
Introductions
Oxford Institute for Sustainable Development
Please tell us:
• Who you are
• Where you come from
• What discipline/s you represent
• Where you are in your academic
career
• What type of research in this area
you have and want to be involved in
THANK YOU!