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The study of quality of urban life involves both an objective approach to analysis using spatially aggregated secondary data and a subjective approach using unit record survey data whereby people provide subjective evaluations of QOL domains. This book provides a comprehensive overview of theoretical perspectives on QOUL and methodological approaches to research design to investigate QOUL and measure QOL dimensions. It incorporates empirical investigations into QOUL in a range of cities across the world

PurposeThe authors led an interdisciplinary team that developed recommendations for building a "culture of environmental sustainability" at the University of Michigan (UM), and the purpose of this paper is to provide guidance on how other institutions might promote pro‐environmental behaviors on their campuses.Design/methodology/approachThe authors synthesize research on fostering environmental behavior, analyze how current campus sustainability efforts align with that research, and describe how they developed research‐based recommendations to increase environmental sustainability on the UM campus.FindingsAnalyses of prior research suggest that there are five factors that influence individuals' pro‐environment behaviors: knowledge of issues; knowledge of procedures; social incentives; material incentives; and prompts/reminders. Given these factors, UM should pursue three types of activities to support the development of pro‐environment behaviors: education, engagement, and assessment.Practical implicationsThe specific recommendations in this report are for the University of Michigan. However, other institutions interested in fostering a culture of environmental sustainability might benefit from undertaking similar comprehensive assessments of how they could support community members' development of pro‐environment behavior and knowledge.Originality/valueThe paper builds on prior research to offer a new vision for how to develop a culture of environmental sustainability on a large university campus.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine the behaviors, attitudes, and levels of understanding among faculty, staff, and students in efforts to design programs aimed at reducing energy use in University of Michigan (UM) buildings.Design/methodology/approachA multi‐method approach is used in five diverse pilot buildings including focus groups, behavioral observations, environmental measures, and web surveys. The analyses consider differences between buildings and between the three population groups.FindingsAmong the findings, UM staff are most concerned about conserving energy in UM buildings while students are the least concerned. A significant proportion of survey respondents are not aware of past university efforts to conserve energy; among those who are aware, many felt that university efforts are inadequate. The observations and self‐reports reveal an abundance of energy‐consuming equipment in offices, and lights and computers are often left on when work spaces and conference rooms are unoccupied. Furthermore, occupants tend to wear heavy clothing during warm weather months indicating excessively low building temperatures. Finally, most occupants are willing to accept higher building temperatures during warm weather months and lower temperatures during cold weather months.Originality/valueThere has been limited work in institutional/organizational settings that considers occupant behavior as a factor in designing programs to conserve energy. The research uses a multi‐method approach to understand what people do, think, and have vis‐à‐vis energy use and conservation. Additionally, the researchers – working with university officials – have designed programs aimed at changing the behaviors of building occupants. These programs have been implemented in the five pilot buildings; plans are currently underway to evaluate the effectiveness of the programs.

The concept of "pre-evaluative research" is examined in the context of a museum exhibition evaluation. Preevaluation research was recommended by some of the earliest writers in the evaluation field as a way of facilitating a formal, "ultimate, "of summative evaluation. It is viewed as distinct from, and complementary to, an evaluability assessment. The exhibit preevaluative study indicates that instrumentation and imple mentation issues are likely to benefit from such activities, but that design and analysis may still suffer.

Using data from a post-occupancy evaluation of an award-winning federal office building, asthetic or architectural quality and the factors associated with it are considered. Various measures of quality are derived from responses to questionnaires administered to three user groups: the office workers, public visitors, and the community at large. Findings show that, on average, the public is likely to agree the building is worthy of its architectural awards. The office workers on the other hand, tend to rate the architectural quality of the building poorly. The analysis demonstrates that views on architectural quality are significantly related to the way workers assess the building as a place to work and the general ambience of their particular agency. Agency ambience is seen as having both asthetic components and functional components such as noise levels, temperature, and people movement. It is suggested that linkages exist in the minds of occupants between the quality of the workplace including its nonaesthetic components and assessments of overall architectural quality.

In an attempt to overcome limitations characteristics of past evaluations, a con ceptual model is presented as a guide to evaluators in collecting and analyzing data on office environments. A number of components of the model are then examined using data from a study of a new federal office building. Findings cooroborate those reported by others in showing that conventional offices are viewed more favorably by people occupying them than workers in either open or pooled office arrangements. The amount of workspace available to the worker is the most important factor associated with work station satisfaction, even after taking into account the type of work station and the workers' ratings of specific work station attributes. It is also demonstrated that people's feelings about the ambience of the agency within which they work and the architecture of the building influence their reactions to the immediate workspace. It is sug gested that space planners and designers who want their work appreciated by the user need concern themselves with the details of the workspace as well as the larger scale environment.

In this handbook social science researchers who focus on sustainability present and discuss their findings, including empirical work, case studies, teaching and learning innovations, and applied projects. As such, the book offers a basis for the dissemination of information, ideas and experiences acquired in the execution of research projects, especially initiatives which have influenced behavior, decision-making, or policy. Furthermore, it introduces methodological approaches and projects which aim to offer a better understanding of sustainability across society and economic sectors. This multidisciplinary overview presents the work of researchers from across the spectrum of the social sciences. It stimulates innovative thinking on how social sciences influence sustainable development and vice-versa