Habitat as experiment: Theory as practice

Abstract

Principles from Campbell's Experimenting Society are transferred from program evaluation to habitat design. Diverging meanings of the concept of experiment are contrasted to show how scientific methods can be used by designers and social scientists for addressing problems of both practice and knowledge. As integrating the concerns of the two groups is an immense task, islands of theory should be constructed as an initial step for organizing the efforts of those involved in the proposed marriage of the two professions. The islands of theory discussed here explore the problem of how much habitat structure should be designed by professionals and how much should be left to the initiatives of residents. As behavioral constraint is both a by-product and a requirement of habitat design, upper and lower limits of structure are inspected to elucidate conditions when habitats are oppressive or anomic (i.e., allowing either too few choices or too many choices of their respective residents to foster community development). A theoretical framework and methodology is discussed for inspecting this topic; a research agenda is also proposed.