Short listed Abstracts 2008

Winner of the JSA 2007

An analysis of Urban Splash’s vision for Park Hill, and the likelihood of its success.
by
Edward Devey, University of Manchester, Department of Architecture

 

Implicit and explicit evaluations of nuclear power in the context of climate change and security of energy supply
by
Christina Demski, University of Cardiff, Department of Psychology

The raw materials of architecture: a sensory study of place, matter and memory
by
Rebecca Lee, University of Manchester, Department of Architecture

The presentation of pro-environmental behaviour, based on environmental concern orientations: how does this affect pro-environmental intentions?
by
Lerryn Rowe, University of Plymouth, Department of Psychology

 

An analysis of Urban Splash’s vision for Park Hill, and the likelihood of its success.

Edward Devey
University of Manchester
Department of Architecture

Winner of the JSA 2008

This study is an investigation into Urban Splash’s redevelopment of the Park Hill Estate (built 1961) in Sheffield, and an analysis of whether it is ultimately likely to be a success. Park Hill can be considered the first built example of deck-access type dwellings in Britain and has been regularly studied by sociologists, architects and planners since it was opened, and – until more recently - can be considered one of the most successful examples of its type. In recent years, however, the building has fallen into an increasing state of disrepair, and has become synonymous with crime and anti-social behaviour; attracting drug dealers, thieves and prostitutes. The once thriving community that the estate supported has diminished and the majority of ground floor shops, restaurants and services are closed and boarded up.

In order to ascertain whether or not the proposed regeneration will succeed, it was necessary to understand the history of deck-access housing and its associated social consequences. This was achieved through a comprehensive literature review, which also explored key concepts such as Defensible Space (Newman, 1973) and texts by Coleman (1985) and Towers (2000). Furthermore, an analysis of other notable Brutalist and deck-access regeneration schemes was undertaken so as to establish a basis for comparison.

It was also necessary to fully understand the extent of the regeneration plans, and this was achieved through a review of the literature produced by Urban Splash (2006), and an interview with an architect from the Park Hill design team. The interview offered an opportunity to discuss in detail several factors brought to light in the literature review that appeared critical to the success of the project but which the plans outlined in Urban Splash’s literature did not seem to address. These primarily related to themes such as security, incivilities & natural surveillance; residential interaction; existing residents & affordable housing; physical attributes & maintenance; etc.

Current residents’ experiences of their life at Park Hill, and their expectations of the redevelopment were also gathered in a series of semi-structured interviews in order to identify the elements responsible for the estates initial success and later decline, which could also influence the future success of the redevelopment.  This part of the research made use of an opportunity sample of eight residents aged between 38 and 66 years old whose time of living at Park Hill ranged from 15- 45 years.  The sample was drawn from current residents of the West Block only, several of whom had previously lived in other blocks but had been rehoused due to the works being carried out in them.  The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed and common salient themes were identified. 

The evidence gathered from the literature review and interviews suggested that the regeneration of Park Hill is likely to be a success in one sense, in that it will provide quality properties that are highly marketable to middle class inhabitants. On the other hand, the fact that Park Hill will now become primarily occupied by inhabitants for which it was never originally intended, begs the question of whether large scale social housing schemes are a viable option in general and, whether the survival of other Brutalist structures is dependent on their being repackaged and re-branded in order to appeal to the mass market.

References;
Coleman, A. (1985) Utopia on Trial: vision and reality in planned housing. London: Shipman

Newman, O. (1973) Defensible Space: people and design in the violent city. London: Architectural Press

Towers, G. (2000) Shelter Is Not Enough: transforming multi-storey housing. Bristol: Policy

Urban Splash. (2006) Park Hill, Sheffield. Urban Splash publication

 

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Implicit and explicit evaluations of nuclear power in the context of climate change and security of energy supply
by
Christina Demski, University of Cardiff, Department of Psychology

Public perception of nuclear power has generally shown strong opposition coupled with negative attitudes. However, a recent change in discourse has framed nuclear power as part of the solution to concerns such as climate change and security of energy supply (Pidgeon, Lorenzoni & Poortinga, 2008). The UK Government has also called for public involvement in policies concerning the building of new nuclear power stations (Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), 2007).

Previous research shows that even though public attitudes toward nuclear power are negative, some acceptance in these contexts is evident (Pidgeon, et al, 2008). The researchers found that people tend to prefer renewable sources over nuclear power when it comes to securing supplies for the future. However, they also favour nuclear power over fossil fuels. In terms of climate change, 54% were willing to accept building new nuclear power stations if this would tackle climate change. However, the majority would prefer promotion of renewable sources (78%). The authors conclude that the energy debate is far more complex than a simple risk/benefit trade-off.

There is a need to investigate the complexity of attitudes towards nuclear power, especially their implicit attitudes because of their hypothesised stable nature, possibly reflecting deeper value systems which are harder to change (Fazio & Olson, 2003). Siegrist et al (2006) used the Implicit Associations Test (IAT) to measure automatic associations with nuclear power and found them to be very negative. However, because the IAT uses a contrast category this is only a relative conclusion.
 
To overcome these methodological shortcomings, the current study used the Go/No-Go Task (Nosek & Banaji, 2001) which allows implicit evaluations of a single attitude object, and similarly found negative implicit evaluations of nuclear power. Manipulating background context for judgements (climate change and energy security respectively) shifted implicit evaluations towards ambivalence or neutrality only slightly but not significantly. Explicit evaluations also showed overall negative judgements; however this is mostly so when evaluating nuclear power in affective as opposed to cognitive terms.

Negative affect seems to play an important role in both explicit and implicit evaluations and may explain why public attitudes remain broadly opposed to nuclear power. The link between implicit evaluations of nuclear power and the affect heuristic is suggested and discussed. Implicit measures do not allow for long-deliberation or rational thinking about nuclear power in context and hence people evaluate nuclear power negatively as their ‘feelings’ or affect are still influenced by the negative images associated with nuclear power.

However, it is important to note that this is the first study to investigate implicit evaluations of nuclear power and replication with a more representative population sample and different context is needed. Nonetheless, conclusions suggest that if the British government seeks change, policies regarding nuclear power should be aimed at a large percentage of the population. Policies aiming to change attitudes towards nuclear power may need to create wider, accurate understanding of nuclear power and encourage engagement and discourse. Only gradual and longer engagement will allow affective reactions to change.

References:
Department of Trade and Industry (2007) The Future of Nuclear Power: the role of nuclear power in a low carbon economy. Norwich, UK. TSO.

Fazio, R. H. & Olson, M. A. (2003) Implicit measures in social cognition research: their meaning and use. Annual Review of Psychology 54 297-327

Nosek, B.A. & Banaji, M.R. (2001) The Go/No-Go Association Task. Social Cognition 19 (6) 625-664

Pidgeon, N.F., Lorenzoni, I. & Poortinga, W. (2008) Climate change or nuclear power – No Thanks! A quantitative study of public perceptions and risk framing in Britain. Global Environmental Change 18 69-85

Siegrist, M., Keller, C. & Cousin, M. (2006) Implicit attitudes toward nuclear power and mobile phone base stations: support for the affect heuristic. Risk Analysis 26 (4) 1021-1029

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The raw materials of architecture:
a sensory study of place, matter and memory
by
Rebecca Lee, University of Manchester, Department of Architecture

When we recall past experiences of places, we remember more than just the visual aspects of the place. Yet sight alone can tell us a lot about a particular material and we are able to imagine and call forth memories that tell us how to anticipate a certain surface by how it stimulates our sensory receptors, which in turn incites an emotional response. Materials become symbolic and embodied with meanings and connotations in accordance with our experience of place.

An infant’s first instinct in exploring an object is touch and taste, but as we grow older this sensory hierarchy changes, so that the primary sense becomes vision. As we learn more about our environment, the initial experiences and incidental memories of our senses inform our consciousness so that it can be interpreted through sight alone.

This study had three main parts: a literature review in the fields of psychology, phenomenology, humanist geography, architecture and philosophy; an experiential study of Peter Zumthor’s architecture in Switzerland; and a quantitative case study of the New Art Gallery Walsall building, which features a unique application of natural and synthetic materials.

The study attempts to answer three questions: Does the use of natural architectural materials give a heightened sense of place due to a richer sensory experience than synthetic man-made materials? Are the materials that evoke place and cultural identity changing, as more people become accustomed to increasingly sterilised, synthetic urban environments? Do younger generations, brought up in an age of multifarious media and desensitisation, become more adaptable in terms of sensing place in their environment?

Interviews with the architects of the New Art Gallery Walsall established their intentions for the emotional temperature and character of each space. This data was then used to inform the design of the questionnaires that were conducted with visitors of the gallery. These questionnaires tested people’s preconceived ideas about materials and their psychological connotations, as well as the subject’s emotional response to each space.

The results of the study at Walsall show that the subjects regarded touch and texture to be as important to their experience of place as sight, supporting the theories of Steven Holl (2007) and Yi-Fu Tuan (1974 & 1977), who said that sight and touch were equally dominant and essential for environmental perception.

The results also suggested that younger people attach their personal meanings to more synthetic, global materials that have developed through their own experiential memories in the digital world.

Therefore it is important to consider the implications of the world that we are currently creating which will inevitably have a profound psychological effect on the generations of the future. Emerging from post-modern consumerism and late capitalism, a banal landscape of generic places is emerging that show little testament to their real locations. Through the study of current behavioural and experiential changes, we can use these findings to inform how we design in the future and consider the changing significance of nature in the modern world. 

References:
Holl, S., Pallasmaa, J. & Perez-Gomez, A.    Questions of Perception Phenomenology of Architecture. San Francisco. William Stout Publishing. 2007

Tuan, Y-F.  Topophilia: a study of environmental perception, attitudes and values. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Prentice Hall Inc. 1974

Tuan, Y-F., Space and Place: the perspective of experience. London. Edward Arnold. 1977

Illustrations:
The three spaces at the New Art Gallery Walsall under consideration in the case study, each photograph is by the author.
1. The Entrance Foyer, view from the main entrance
2. The Garman Ryan Gallery
3. The Temporary Exhibition Gallery

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The presentation of pro-environmental behaviour, based on environmental concern orientations: how does this affect pro-environmental intentions?
by
Lerryn Rowe, University of Plymouth, Department of Psychology

In the face of climate change it is important to understand why people act, or may fail to act, in pro-environmentally friendly ways. Early research has found that knowledge alone may not be sufficient (Craig & McCann (1978) cited in Gardner & Stern, 2002). Stern, Dietz and Kalof (1993) extended the norm-activation model of altruism for use in environmental psychology, calling it the Value-Belief-Norm Theory (cited in Snelgar, 2006). Their model included three types of values, making up the basis of Environmental Concerns (ECs): Egoistic, Altruistic and Biospheric, which people possess to varying degrees. Stern, et al (1995) found that egoistic and biospheric ECs were the best predictors of pro-environmental intentions.

Stern, et al’s (1993) ECs have so far mainly been investigated in descriptive and correlational research. The present study manipulates ECs in a between-participants experimental design and measures the effect of this on environmental attitudes and intentions. Participants were recruited for an online study from networking sites and a points credit system (age range 16-72; M age = 29; 101 females). A random assignment to one of 4 conditions took place, which activated either egoistic, altruistic or biospheric concerns, or no concerns (control group).  Participants were shown a picture of a house and asked to sequentially click on six buttons related to different areas. The buttons triggered statements about the effects of global warming based on the appropriate EC for their condition, with an energy saving tip relating to this area of the house. Participants then completed the New Environmental Paradigm (NEP) scale (Dunlap, et al 2000) to assess their attitudes towards the environment and an Intentions Scale (adapted from Clayton (1999) cited in Pahl, et al, 2005) to assess their pro-environmental intentions. The control group did not read any statements but simply completed the questionnaires.

Controlling for age, it was found that there was a significant increase in NEP scores in the biospheric condition compared to the altruistic. Further, a significant interaction was found between NEP and intentions for a subset of conditions. Specifically the egoistic condition showed higher intentions scores than the biospheric condition, and the biospheric condition showed higher NEP scores than the egoistic condition. A positive correlation was found between age and NEP scores. Further analysis also showed that participants’ intentions were influenced by ease of actions, e.g., they were more likely to change lightbulbs than energy supplier.

It was concluded that activating biospheric concerns might help to increase pro-environmental attitudes, but activating egoistic concerns might increase pro-environmental intentions. The effects provide a starting point for the practical application of different environmental concerns.

 

References:
Craig, C. S. and McCann, J. M. (1978). Assessing Communication Effects on Energy Conservation. Journal of Consumer Research, 5, 2, 82-88

Dunlap, R.E., Van Liere, K.D., Mertig, A.G., and Jones, R.E. (2000). Measuring Endorsement of the New Ecological Paradigm: A Revised NEP Scale. Journal of Social Issues, 56, 425-442.

Gardner, G. T. and Stern, P. C. (2002) Environmental problems and human behaviour [2nd Edn]. Pearson Custom Publishing: Boston.

Pahl, S., Harris, P.R., Todd, H.A. and Rutter, D.R. (2005). Comparative optimism for environmental risks. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 25, 1-11.

Snelgar, R. S. (2006) Egoistic, Altruistic, and Biosheric Environmental Concerns: Measurement and Structure. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 26, 87-99

Stern, P. C., (2000) Toward a Coherent Theory of Environmentally Significant Behaviour.  Journal of Social Issues, 56, 3, 407-424

Stern, P. C., Dietz, T. and Kalof, L. (1993). Value Orientations, Gender, and Environmental Concern. Environment and Behaviou, 25, 322-348.

Stern, P. C., Dietz, T., Kalof, L. and Guagnano, G.A. (1995). Values, Beliefs and Proenvironmental action: Attitude Formation Toward Emergent Attitude Objects. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 25, 1611-1636

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