Whether you’re in the deserts of California or the moss forests of Washington State the one thing humans gravitate toward are green spaces. To those us who specialize in Evolutionary and/or Environmental Psychology this preference is of no great surprise. Dating as far back as our hunter-gatherer ancestors, green spaces were paramount to the human psyche.

Early humans used green spaces to camouflage themselves from predatory animals and/or members of rival tribes. In more recent times, Environmental Psychologists have been able to document the value of green spaces on reducing stress, decreasing recovery time from illnesses, increasing learning capacity, and a feeling of greater perceived safety.

In conjunction with green spaces is the human desire for open spaces or vistas. Again, this desire originally had the practical purpose of being able to survey and prepare for oncoming threats. Hence, castles were built higher up to keep vigilance on the land below. Today the threat of being consumed by a predatory animal or attacked by rival tribes, unless it is gang-affiliated, has been nearly eradicated, but our desire for green and open spaces continue to linger among our preferences.

When it comes to the selection of property, the human psyche can be a terrific motivator or a strong deterrent. Most humans will gravitate toward communities with landscaped medians, tree-lined walkways, and grass-lined causeways. Hence, these communities tend to command higher prices in the real-estate market. Additionally, as little as three decades ago, property situated near parks and/or schools tended to enjoy higher values because of the abundance of open green spaces that these places provided. Part of the attraction schools and parks offered, other than green open spaces, was the relative privacy and tranquility that they offered. Schools in particular, were predominately opened during the hours of 7am-3pm, when most adults were at work, which meant that the off hours in the evening and weekends the grounds were quiet.

Since the 1980’s, these patterns of occupation have changed substantially. Schools and parks started to be used with greater frequency for before and after school programming as well as other types of social service programs. This change occurred in part because of the increased dependence on dual-income households. Parents were no longer available to care for the children during business hours and accommodation had to be made. In many cases this accommodation was made through the use of public spaces such as parks and schools.

As society evolves so, too, do our perceptions. The unfortunate perception among many adults is that young people are more malicious and unstable in today’s society then they were in the past. Please note the use of the word “perception” as opposed to “reality”. When it comes to feelings of environmental safety and security, perception and reality are rarely interchangeable. However, humans are motivated by their perceptions and not reality. Not withstanding, media attention on the recent plagues of gunfire at public schools, perceived decrease in public behavioral etiquette, and perceived decrease in respect from youth to adults have all led to the development of fear of young people.

While perceived fear for personal safety is an unfortunate reality in our modern society, there are also other factors that have led to the devaluation of property near schools and parks. These factors have to do with the increased occurrence of auto theft and vandalism, noise, traffic, homeless people, and other deviant behaviors such as drug transactions, territory marking by way of graffiti, and landscape vandalism.

In many of our modern cities we have started to see the shift of homes located next to schools and parks lose their respective value. Of course those properties in lower income communities that are situated near schools have been the hardest hit, with multi-use recreational parks being second. However, as we continue to maximize the use of public spaces for social service programming, those properties that surround public spaces will inevitably lose their respective value not because of reality, but because of perception.

Published: February 18, 2003

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David Alan Kopec "DAK" has a Ph.D. in Environmental Psychology with a concentration in perception and design and two master's degrees, one in Architecture and another in Community Psychology. He also has a bachelor's degree in community/public health, is certified by the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing (NCHEC), a member of Interior Design Education Council (IDEC), and studied the practice and principles of Feng Shui in China. Among DAK's most notable accomplishments include the completion of the first textbook on environmental psychology for design, published by Fairchild Books, which won ASID's 2006 Joel Polsky Prize. He has also authored two monographs; the first analyzes the Americans with Disabilities Act along with the common issues faced by an elderly population, published by ASID. The second monograph discusses the design of long-term care facilities in a multicultural society. This is being published by NCIDQ. Currently DAK is working on a second textbook that analyzes health, sustainability and design. Fairchild Books will release this book in the Spring of 2008. Also, DAK is a 2006 award recipient from Rebuilding Together San Diego. DAK is an Associate Professor of Design at the Newschool of Architecture and Design. In addition, DAK has a private practice, provides consulting services and educational lectures at events such as Neo-Con World’s Trade Fair in Chicago, the annual leadership conference for the American Society for Interior Designers (ASID), and dozens of physician conferences and meetings.