2003 - Issue 1

Inner Navigation, by Erik Jonsson, helps readers understand why humans get lost, and what you, as a designer, can do to make the spaces you create easier to navigate.

With this issue we have again found articles pertinent to design “buried” in journals few designers read, such as the Yale Law Journal, the American Journal of Public Health and the Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly. We’re pleased to be able to provide you this useful information.

A diversified mix of stores, restaurants, and entertainment venues can draw pedestrians to urban centers and spur further economic development. Creating the initial nucleus for such development, though, is often difficult. One study reviews relevant research on these “catalytic buildings” to see what is known about their effectiveness.

Staff diversity has become an increasingly important issue in the workplace, yet many design firms lag behind. Is yours one of them?

Project designers are increasingly including participation by children and young adults in their design processes. Several recent publications consider this issue—particularly in the context of urban design.

Neal Kumar Katyal of the Georgetown University Law Center breaks that mind-set and reviews in detail several effective design strategies to reduce crime.

One of the feature articles in our last issue (October 2002, p. 1) covered two studies on walking behavior and neighborhood aesthetics. Three more studies also conclude that neighborhood design affects who walks, and how often then walk.

Humans routinely modify the land around them, often leading to ecological and social consequences—consequences that can affect the landscape’s character. This is the second of a two-part article that examines some current research on how landscape preferences can support actions to preserve an area’s ecology and character.

The important point here is how pedestrians can be generated in an environment around a catalyst.

Reduction in ambient noise—a significant environmental stressor—has recently been shown to improve workers’ image of their employers and attachment to employing companies.