Environmental Psychology Organizations
Professional Associations
These associations, through conferences, publications, and Web sites, play a major role in the dissemination of research in environmental psychology.
- American Psychological Association, Division 34: Population and Environmental Psychology A division of the APA concerned with population-level psychology, the behavioral effects of the built environment, and the connections between people and the natural world.
- EDRA: Environmental Design Research Association Interdisciplinary organization that includes psychologists, social scientists, architects, and designers, all with a common interest in environmental design research. It has become the major professional association for environmental psychology in the United States. Founded in 1969.
- International Association for People-Environment Studies (IAPS) An organization that facilitates international collaboration and communication among researchers studying the relationships between people and the physical environment. Holds a major biennial conference and supports a number of smaller events, primarily in Europe and West Asia. Officially founded in 1981.
- International Association of Applied Psychology (IAAP), Division 4: Environmental Psychology. Division of IAAP focusing on “psychological effects of the physical environment and with effects of human action on the sociophysical environment.” Founded in 1982.
Laboratories and Research Centers
There are a number of important research centers for environmental psychology and design. This often provid helpful information about current directions in the field.
- Center for Human Environments (CHE), CUNY Graduate Center. A multi-disciplinary center comprising four separate research groups focusing on childrens' environments, housing environments, public space, and youth studies. Research is often on focused on the New York metropolitan area.
- Center for Architecture and Urban Planning Research (CAPUR), School of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Wisconsin--Milwaukee. A center for planning and architectural research and community service.
- Center for Environmental Design Research (CEDR), College of Environmental Design, University of California Berkeley. Supports a number of programs in environmental planning and design research, including the Center for the Built Environment (CBE).
- Division of Built Environment Analysis, (Bebyggelseanalys), Kungliga Tekniska högskolan (Royal Institute of Technology), Stockholm. Research focuses on the social and psychological aspects of the built environment.
- Environmental Psychology Lab, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. Current research focuses on the relationship of people, ecology, and landscape design in urban settings.
- Institute on Aging and the Environment, School of Architecture and Urban Planning, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee. Research concentrates on the relationship of the elderly, especially those with cognitive impairments, to their environment.
- Landscape and Human Health Laboratory (LHHL), University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Succeeds the Human-Environment Research Laboratory (HERL). Directed by Professor Frances E. Kuo. Research focuses on the effects of greenery on human health and well-being.
- People-Environment Research Unit, Social Psychology Research Laboratory, University of Corunna. Research focuses on assessing and influencing environmental attitudes and the evaluation of environmental quality.
- Scottish Centre for Environmental-Design Research, Robert Gordon University, Aberdeen. Consists of three research groups on Materials Conservation and Waste, Sustainable Housing, and Design Development and Evaluation.
Some Graduate Programs
- Graduate Subprogram in Environmental Psychology, Department of Psychology, CUNY Graduate Center.
- Environmental Psychology Research Group, Department of Psychology, University of Surrey, UK.
- School of Social Ecology, University of California, Irvine.
