Following upon the first two volumes in this series, which dealt with a
broad spectrum of topics in the environment and behavior field, ranging
from theoretical to applied, and including disciplinary,
interdisciplinary, and professionally oriented approaches, we have
chosen to devote sub- sequent volumes to more specifically defined
topics. Thus, Volume Three dealt with Children and the Environment, seen
from the combined perspective of researchers in environmental and
developmental psy- chology. The present volume has a similarly topical
coverage, dealing with the complex set of relationships between culture
and the physical environment. It is broad and necessarily eclectic with
respect to content, theory, methodology, and epistemological stance, and
the contributors to it represent a wide variety of fields and
disciplines, including psy- chology, geography, anthropology, economics,
and environmental de- sign. We were fortunate to enlist the
collaboration of Amos Rapoport in the organization and editing of this
volume, as he brings to this task a particularly pertinent perspective
that combines anthropology and ar- chitecture. Volume Five of the
series, presently in preparation, will cover the subject of behavioral
science aspects of transportation. Irwin Altman Joachim F. Wohlwill ix
Contents Introduction 1 CHAPTER 1 CROSS-CULTURAL ASPECTS OF
ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN AMOS RAPOPORT Introduction 7 Culture. . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . 9 Environmental Design 10 The Relationship of Culture
and Environmental Design . . . . . . . . . 15 The Variability of
Culture-Environment Relations 19 Culture-Specific Environments . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26 Designing for
Culture. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . 30 Implications for the Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 References . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . 42 CHAPTER 2 CROSS-CULTURAL RESEARCH METHODS: STRATEGIES,
PROBLEMS, ApPLICATIONS RICHARD W.
