Abstract

Registration link: https://bit.ly/3qhf6BU

There is accelerating interest in using the tools of psychology and neuroscience to understand how urban and architectural design affects human behaviour, emotion, and physiology. In my talk, I will describe several findings from my own work that illustrate the power of such approaches to promote what I’ve called “psychological sustainability.” The common thread that connects these studies is the finding that we are universally attracted to vitality at every scale.

Colin Ellard is the director of the Urban Realities Laboratory at the University of Waterloo in Canada, where he conducts research at the intersection of psychology, neuroscience and design. He has conducted his research both in immersive virtual reality but also at field sites in many different parts of the world, including Toronto, Vancouver, New York City, Berlin, and Mumbai. Ellard describes some of this research in his most recent book, Places of the Heart.