Formed officially in 1981, but with intellectual roots dating back to the ‘60s in the architectural psychology movement, IAPS is a multidisciplinary and active association gathering researchers and practitioners from around the world, with a shared interest in people’s interaction with their environment. Psychology, sociology, geography, design, planning are only a few of the disciplines represented and for these and their representatives, IAPS serves both as a platform for disciplinary discussion, and as a platform for collaboration. Detailed areas of work include spatial cognition and wayfinding; ecological aspects of human actions in places; evaluation of buildings and natural landscapes; design of, and experiences in, workplaces, schools, residences, public buildings and public spaces; social use of space: crowding, privacy, territoriality, personal space; leisure and tourism behaviour in relation to their physical settings; the meaning of built environments; theories of place, place attachment, and place identity; resource crises and environmental research; risks and hazards: their perception and management; urban design and urban regeneration, landscape design and their impact on quality of life.
IAPS members are engaged in both theoretical and applied research, as well as practice and have links to policymaking. The primary goal is to improve quality of life and to achieve this, IAPS is committed to supporting the coexistence, reciprocal understanding and ultimately collaboration of theoretical, practical work and lobbying activities. Issue 30 of the IAPS Bulletin tells us about the early history of IAPS and bring us important memories about the roots of our association.
