Crowding and Behavior: The Psychology of High-Density Living

by Jonathan Freedman

How crowding affects people is a critical question for modern society, particularly for the great urban concentrations in which most of the population and problems are centered. This book presents an optimistic view of the issue, based on research over a period of five or six years. Those investigating the issue have concluded that crowding does not generally have negative effects on people and that, indeed, it can have either good or bad effects depending on the situation. This book presents the background for this conclusion, as well as its implications. Whenever possible, the evidence has been described in nontechnical terms, but more detailed reports are presented in appendixes for those who are interested.

177 pages, Hardcover

First published August 20, 1975

Reviews

[V · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book changed my perspective on how crowding affects human emotions and behavior. I used to think that we had a territoriality instinct and that cities have the many problems they do because of high density, but in reality it's not a statistically or factually valid argument. There are many great insights into how we relate to each other as well as to our space, both in size and in quality of the space. Totally recommend. Fast read. Quality info.