The present volume in our series follows the format of the immediately
in dealing with a topical theme of considerable impor- preceding ones
tance in the environment and behavior field. In view of current and
projected demographic trends, it is a certainty that a broad-ranging set
of issues concerned with the elderly and the physical environment will
continue to be of focal pertinence-if not of increasing importance--in
the remaining decades of this century. The present volume also follows
in the tradition of earlier volumes in the series in being eclectic with
respect to content, theory, and meth- odology and in including
contributions from a variety of disciplines, such as anthropology,
economics, psychology, geography, and urban and regional planning. To
have encompassed the whole array of disci- plines and topics in this
emerging field in a single volume would have been impossible. We trust
that the sample of contributions that we have selected is provocative
and that it will illustrate the range of problems and topics and point
to promising areas of study and analysis. We are pleased to have M.
Powell Lawton as a guest co-editor for this volume. His broad-ranging
expertise, perceptive judgment, and fine editorial talents have
contributed enormously to the volume.