The present volume in the series focuses on homes, residences, and
dwellings. Although many fields have had a long-standing interest in
different aspects of home environments, the topic has recently come to
the forefront in the interdisciplinary environment and behavior field.
Researchers and theorists from many disciplines have begun to meet
regularly, share ideas and perspectives, and move the investigation of
psychological, social, and behavioral aspects of home environments to
the central arena of environment and behavior studies. This volume
representative-though not comprehensive- attempts to provide a sampling
of contemporary perspectives on the study of home environments. As in
previous volumes, the authors are drawn from a variety of disciplines,
including environmental design fields of architecture and planning, and
from the social science fields of psychology, sociology, anthropology,
and history. This diversity of authors and perspectives makes salient
the principle that the study of homes in relation to behav- ior requires
the contributions of many disciplines. Moreover, the chap- ters in this
volume reflect an array of research and theoretical view- points,
different scales of home environments (e.g., objects and areas, the home
as a whole, the home as embedded in neighborhood and communities, etc.),
design and policy issues, and, necessarily, a com- parative and
cross-cultural perspective. Home environments are at the core of human
life in most cultures, and it is hoped that the contributions to this
volume display the excite- ment, potential, and importance of research
and theory on homes.
