How space affects social value judgements at zero acquaintance, with particular reference to civic transitory space

Abstract

This research investigates how the design of space affects first impressions between people — those we pass in the street, the mall, the train and so on. These interactions are important to individuals and their communities because, simply put, first impressions count. Using Ervin Goffman’s (1973, 1974, 2009, 2014) dramaturgical approach to symbolic interactionism, combined with the theory of affordance, a hypothesis about how space can sway first impressions is presented and tested through experimentation.