Environment and Behavior RSS feed -- OnlineFirst Articles

The Moderating Effect of Perceived Lack of Facilities on Consumers' Recycling Intentions

Chen, M.-F., Tung, P.-J. — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 12:27:22 PST

With Municipal solid waste (MSW) management turning into a global problem, capitalizing on resource residuals is one way to ensure sustained material well-being. An extended Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) research model that incorporates moral norms and consequences of recycling is built for probing consumers’ behavioral intentions to recycle waste. Perceived lack of facilities is adopted as a moderator to further examine its impacts on the hypothetical relationships in this extended TPB model. The results from an empirical study of Taiwan indicate that the extended TPB model is a useful research framework to explain consumers’ recycling intentions and that consumers’ perceived lack of facilities also exerts moderating effects on determining consumers’ recycling intentions. Based on the findings, some constructive suggestions are provided to the policy makers to strengthen consumers’ recycling intentions in Taiwan.

Compatibility: An Experimental Demonstration

Herzog, T. R., Hayes, L. J., Applin, R. C., Weatherly, A. M. — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 16:10:15 PST

Are people sensitive to the level of compatibility in everyday settings? We manipulated via scenario both a specified goal and a setting typically associated with a given goal. Settings were either typically compatible with the specified goal or not. Different participants rated either compatibility (as a direct indicator of sensitivity to manipulated compatibility) or preference for being in the setting (as an indirect indicator of sensitivity). For both measures, mean ratings were significantly greater in the high-compatibility conditions than in the low-compatibility conditions. We conclude that people are indeed sensitive to the level of compatibility in everyday settings. These findings indicate that a core concept of Attention Restoration Theory (ART), compatibility, has psychological reality in everyday settings and thus support the construct validity and external validity of the compatibility concept.

Social Crime or Spatial Crime? Exploring the Effects of Social, Economical, and Spatial Factors on Burglary Rates

Chang, D. — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:02:28 PDT

Space-crime research has primarily focused on crime prevention through environmental design, based on the ideology of defensible space, territoriality, target-hardening factors, and so on. Much of the research has attempted to determine ideological imperatives within the scope of either architectural buildings or urban areas. Few studies can be found dealing with whether there exists a significant influence of spatial configuration or CPTED-based building designs or social and economical reasons for the patterns of residential burglary distribution. This research focuses on three major factors: social factor of building use patterns, economical factor of building values, and two spatial factors, namely, the configurational factor of urban space structures and the design factor of architectural buildings. To examine the effect of the latter factors on burglary distribution patterns, configurational factor of urban space structures will be examined by investigating the configurational factors of intelligibility and integration. Other factors in consideration are road types, the types of buildings that witness high crime rates, and visibility issues. For the effect of building design factors, issues such as the number of entrances, building height, and target-hardening facilities will be examined. Our findings across six areas in a metropolitan city suggest that intelligible areas that can be easily accessible by passersby, and thus, enable more people to enter the area, are deemed to be less vulnerable than less intelligible areas. The urban space structure configures residential burglary patterns and building-use patterns significantly affect burglary rates, followed by road type and design factor issues.

To Conserve or Not to Conserve: Is Status the Question?

Welte, T. H. L., Anastasio, P. A. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:39:36 PDT

Previous research has demonstrated that environmentally friendly behavior is perceived as low status, which can explain why such behavior is not more widespread. However, greater awareness of environmental issues and the advent of a "green" movement may have seen a change in those attitudes. As some conservation behaviors used in past research may have been conflated with lower socioeconomic status, Study 1 identified financially neutral behaviors so that SES would not be confused for status in general. Study 2 utilized two of those behaviors to investigate whether engaging in conservation behavior per se is viewed as low status. Participants rated a target who performed either zero, one, or two conservation behaviors. Counter to earlier research, it was found that neither number nor type of environmental behaviors performed affected the perceived status of the target. These results suggest that attitudes toward conservation behavior may be improving; implications for increasing environmentally friendly behavior are discussed.

Construction and Validation of an Instrument to Measure Environmental Orientations in a Diverse Group of Children

Larson, L. R., Green, G. T., Castleberry, S. B. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:39:36 PDT

An understanding of children’s environmental orientations is of critical importance as opportunities for authentic contact with nature diminish. Current instruments for measuring children’s environmental attitudes are complex, and few have been tested across diverse audiences. This study employed a mixed-methods approach that included pilot tests, final survey implementation, and interviews to create a survey instrument for assessing the environmental attitudes and awareness of children (N = 254) from different age (6- to 13-year-olds) and ethnic groups (African American, Hispanic, and White). Reliability and validity analyses indicated the scale was a psychometrically sound method for accurately and efficiently measuring children’s perceptions of nature across a demographic range. Eco-affinity and eco-awareness emerged as two distinct components of environmental orientations. This new evaluation tool may help educators and researchers examine the ways children perceive the natural world. It may also help to identify cognitive and affective aspects of existing environmental education programs that need improvement.

Third Places and the Social Life of Streets

Mehta, V., Bosson, J. K. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:39:34 PDT

Urban sociologist Ray Oldenburg defines a third place as a place of refuge other than the home or workplace where people can regularly visit and commune with friends, neighbors, coworkers, and even strangers. Because little is known about the place-based physical qualities of third places that support sociability and place attachment, this article examines how four urban design characteristics distinguish third-place businesses from other businesses on the Main Street. The article discusses a study conducted at Main Streets in two cities and one town in Massachusetts. As part of the study, visual surveys measured urban design qualities of businesses on the Main Streets, and interviews helped determine user perceptions. The findings suggest that third places are relatively high in both personalization (distinctiveness, recognizability) and permeability to the street, but seating and shelter provisions are perhaps the most crucial urban design characteristics that contribute to sociability on the Main Street.

Exploring Additional Determinants of Environmentally Responsible Behavior: The Influence of Environmental Literature and Environmental Attitudes

Mobley, C., Vagias, W. M., DeWard, S. L. — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 14:39:34 PDT

It is often assumed that individuals who are knowledgeable and concerned about the environment will engage in environmentally responsible behavior (ERB). We use data from a large scale Web survey hosted on National Geographic’s Web site in 2001-2002 to investigate this premise. We examine whether reading three classic environmental books (Walden, A Sand County Almanac, and Silent Spring) is associated with the likelihood of engaging in ERB. Conceptualizing this activity as a formative experience and a source of environmental knowledge, we hypothesized that reading such literature would be a stronger predictor of ERB than sociodemographic characteristics (i.e., gender, education, and political orientation), general environmental attitudes (as measured by the New Ecological Paradigm), and concern about specific environmental risks. The results indicated that while reading environmental literature was a stronger predictor of ERB than background characteristics and the NEP, environmental concern was an even stronger predictor. We offer reasons for these findings and make suggestions for environmental education and future research.

The Use of Prompts, Increased Accessibility, Visibility, and Aesthetics of the Stairwell to Promote Stair Use in a University Building

van Nieuw-Amerongen, M. E., Kremers, S. P. J., de Vries, N. K., Kok, G. — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:58:26 PDT

Physical activity in the form of consistently opting for stair use instead of elevator use can have important health benefits. The article discusses a study assessing whether increasing the attractiveness and accessibility of a stairwell had an impact on stair use among students and employees of Maastricht University, the Netherlands. The intervention involves multiple environmental changes, including prompts and enhanced aesthetics, visibility, and accessibility of the stairwell. Stair and elevator use by students and employees of Maastricht University are observed using video cameras. Data are collected continuously during 1 week before and 4 weeks after the implementation of the intervention. A total of 21,786 observations are made. Findings reveal that total stair use increased significantly, by 8.2% and that effects remain stable over the 4-week postintervention period. Stair use can be positively and continuously influenced by improving the stairwell environment.

A Naturalistic Observational Study of Informal Segregation: Seating Patterns in Lectures

Koen, J., Durrheim, K. — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 11:35:15 PDT

In spite of the removal of legislated racial segregation, a number of observational studies in South Africa and elsewhere have shown that "informal," nonlegislated segregation persists in spaces of everyday interaction. Most of these have been case studies of segregation at single sites. The authors seek to quantify segregation in a sample of sites, in order to develop models of the factors that predict segregation. To this end, the authors use photographs of 67 first-year university classes, taken during the first 2 weeks of the semester, and then again during the last 2 weeks of the semester. Segregation is analyzed using Campbell and colleagues' measure of seating adjacencies. Across the classrooms, segregation correlates with class size, venue size, and class density, and results show higher levels of segregation in the second observation in comparison with the first. The authors conclude that interracial contact at university does not lead to the formation of cross-race friendships and consider a number of ergonomic factors that affect segregation.

A Tale of Two Scales: Evaluating the Relationship Among Life Satisfaction, Social Capital, Income, and the Natural Environment at Individual and Neighborhood Levels in Metropolitan Baltimore

Vemuri, A. W., Grove, J. M., Wilson, M. A., Burch, W. R. — Thu, 03 Sep 2009 14:02:14 PDT

With the rapid growth of cities worldwide, there is a need to better understand factors contributing to life satisfaction in urban environments. Using data from a long-term study of the Baltimore metropolitan region, we build on existing social scientific literature to examine a suite of theoretical factors that have been proposed to explain higher life satisfaction. We find support for many previous theoretical arguments in the literature. Importantly, however, our findings reveal that these results are strikingly scale dependent. For individuals, higher incomes contribute to higher levels of satisfaction, yet social capital does not. For neighborhoods, more social capital strongly increases satisfaction, but higher incomes do not; and access to a clean natural environment always contributes to higher satisfaction, regardless of the scale of analysis. Given these findings, we conclude with the observation that future research must carefully match the "scale" of life satisfaction measurements with the explanatory variables used.

Casino Decor Effects on Gambling Emotions and Intentions

Finlay, K., Marmurek, H. H. C., Kanetkar, V., Londerville, J. — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 16:41:20 PDT

A sample of 484 gamblers (241 males) viewed simulations of casino settings varying in their macro design (playground vs. gaming) and their micro décor elements (lighting, human crowding, color, machine clustering, and layout symmetry). The décor element levels were manipulated to reflect information load (e.g., flashing lights afford more information than do static lights). The participants provided three measures for each simulation: at-risk gambling intention, pleasure, and restoration. Overall, the playground design and females yielded higher scores on each measure than did the gaming design and males. Also, the relationship between pleasure and at-risk gambling intention was fully mediated by restoration. The effects of information load on the three dependent measures were complex as they depended on the macro design and the gender of the participant. These results are discussed within a framework where affect and cognition mediate atmospheric effects on gambling.

Gender Differences in Distance Estimates When Exposed to Multiple Routes

Stone, J. P., McBeath, M. K. — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:26:21 PDT

People frequently are aware of more than one route to cross an environment. Based on prior findings that increased information about a route increases perceived route length, we tested if exposure to multiple routes alters perceptions of length. Participants (6 males and 6 females) were instructed to walk along bending pathways while observing either only the single path designated for them, or with that path and two additional nearby paths also visible.Our results confirm that for males the number of marked routes had no effect on accuracy of route length estimates,but for females estimations were significantly less accurate when more routes were present compared to when only a single route was visible.The findings support that awareness of multiple routes can change length estimates, at least for women.

Evolutionary Influence on Human Landscape Preference

Falk, J. H., Balling, J. D. — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 10:43:16 PDT

Individuals residing in the rainforest belt of Nigeria were shown photographs of five biomes: rain forest, deciduous forest, coniferous forest, savanna, and desert. Subjects overwhelmingly selected savanna scenes as representing the most desirable place to live. These results, coupled with extensive American data, support the hypothesis that humans possess an innate preference for savanna-like settings, which then is modified through experience and enculturation. Findings are discussed in relation to anthropological, biological, and psychological research.

Interpersonal Behavior in an Isolated and Confined Environment

John Paul, F. U., Mandal, M. K., Ramachandran, K., Panwar, M. R. — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 11:56:28 PDT

The article discusses a study that focused on interpersonal needs and investigated whether interpersonal behavior of Antarctic personnel deteriorated after the halfway point of prolonged isolation and confinement. Twenty-three personnel who resided in Antarctica for 14 months served as participants. The mean age of participants was 39 years (SD = 8.7 years). This study uses the FIRO-B questionnaire that assessed the dimensions of interpersonal behavior. The findings indicate a greater need to associate with other personnel but with less intimacy. Inversely, personnel want others to establish close relationships with them but with a low level of interaction. Besides, the overall interpersonal behavior (the mean score of six scales of FIRO-B) reveals a significant improvement in the first versus the second half of a prolonged isolated and confined environment.

Effects of Permeability on Perceived Enclosure and Spaciousness

Stamps, A. E. — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 15:40:38 PDT

This article suggests that the ranges through which people can see through or move through environments are extremely important. The label corresponding to this theory is permeability theory. Eight hypotheses are generated from permeability theory using two responses (perceived enclosure and perceived spaciousness) and four properties of the physical environment (permeability of boundary, amount of light, horizontal area within a boundary, and boundary depth). Empirical data from 4 experiments, 54 environments, and 130 participants indicate that permeability theory correctly predicted 6 a priori hypotheses and also correctly predicted that the remaining 2 hypotheses would have effect sizes too small to detect. The main determinants of judged enclosure or spaciousness are visual permeability of the boundary, amount of light, and horizontal area. Numerical guidance is provided to assist future research.

Cultural and Biological Determinants in the Evaluation of Urban Green Spaces

Home, R., Bauer, N., Hunziker, M. — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:56:54 PDT

Dramatically increasing urbanization is observable worldwide and brings pressure on space within urban areas as the built environment intensifies. Considerable evidence suggests that contact with nature is important for city dwellers, although it is not known whether residents’ appreciation of the forms of urban green spaces is constant across different contexts. More specifically, it has not yet been shown whether our appreciation of nature is innate and inherently human, is cultural and something that we learn, or is a mixture of both. This article describes an exploratory study consisting of 17 interviews carried out in Zurich, Switzerland. Kelly’s repertory grid technique is used to identify preferred urban landscapes, which were contrasted with identified rejected landscapes. Principle components analysis and multidimensional scaling reveal a clear separation of cultural and biological modes of landscape assessment in some respondents. The research contributes to an understanding of the meanings of urban green spaces, which would in turn provide planners with a tool to match urban natural resource management with the needs of residents.

Forces of Nature Affect Implicit Connections With Nature

Duffy, S., Verges, M. — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:30:42 PDT

The purpose of this study was to examine whether seasonal and meteorological changes in nature correspond to environmental attitudes and concerns. An implicit connection to nature task, environmental concern scale, and conservation behavior survey were administered to 220 participants across spring, autumn, and winter seasons in a temperate region of the United States. These behavioral data were correlated with temperature and precipitation data from the U.S. National Weather Service. Results indicated seasonal and meteorological factors were associated with performance on the implicit task, but not explicit, environmental attitudes and self-reported behaviors. These findings suggested contextual influences in the natural environment correspond to implicit connectedness with nature.

Effects of Classroom Acoustics on Performance and Well-Being in Elementary School Children: A Field Study

Klatte, M., Hellbruck, J., Seidel, J., Leistner, P. — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 09:30:41 PDT

Children are more impaired than adults by unfavorable listening conditions such as reverberation and noise. Nevertheless, the acoustical conditions in classrooms often do not fit the specific needs of young listeners. This field study aimed to analyze the effects of classroom reverberation on children’s performance and well-being at school. Performance and questionnaire data were collected from 487 children from 21 classrooms which differed in mean reverberation time from 0.49 to 1.1 seconds. Significant effects of reverberation on speech perception and short-term memory of spoken items were found. Furthermore, the children from reverberating classrooms performed lower in a phonological processing task, reported a higher burden of indoor noise in the classrooms, and judged the relationships to their peers and teachers less positively than children from classrooms with good acoustics. The results demonstrate the importance of good acoustical conditions in classrooms.

Hazard Proximity or Risk Perception? Evaluating Effects of Natural and Technological Hazards on Housing Values

Zhang, Y., Hwang, S. N., Lindell, M. K. — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:26:13 PDT

Despite the substantial literature on environmental hazards’ effect on residential property value, the findings are inconsistent. Little attention has been given to the relationship between hazard proximity and risk perception and their distinct roles in affecting housing values. This research proposes a multistage causal model in which the influence of hazard proximity on property value is mediated by risk perception. The model was tested for three hazards (flood, hurricane, and toxic chemicals) using data from 321 households in Harris County, Texas. The results indicate that risk perception is a mediating factor between hazard proximity and property value, but there is some evidence that the mediation is partial rather than complete. Hazard proximity can be perceived as a potential risk and an environmental amenity at the same time for certain types of hazards. These two perceptions operate in opposite directions when affecting housing value. Implications for environmental hazards disclosure policies are discussed.

Connected to Birds but Not Bees: Valence Moderates Implicit Associations With Nature

Verges, M., Duffy, S. — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 10:26:13 PDT

The article discusses three experiments that replicated and extended prior research on implicit connections with built and natural environments. In Experiment 1, participants classify "nature" (e.g., trees) and "self" (e.g., me) items faster than "built" (e.g., factory) and "other" (e.g., them) items. This effect may attribute to words that elicit stronger positive associations to nature and stronger negative associations to built categories. In Experiment 2, participants rated nature and self items more positively than built and other items. This finding suggests a propensity to view oneself and the natural environment more favorably in comparison to others and the built environment. This positive association to nature, however, was reversed in Experiment 3: Participants classify built and self items faster than nature and self items. Results indicate that stimulus valence moderates implicit associations to built and natural environments. Implications regarding the role of affective processing on implicit attitudes to these environments are discussed.

Internal and External Aesthetics of Housing Estates

da Luz Reis, A. T., Dias Lay, M. C. — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:27:23 PDT

This article focuses on internal and external aesthetic aspects in 12 housing estates, including terraced, row, detached and semidetached houses, and four-storey blocks of flats sold to low-income people by the public sector in the metropolitan region of Porto Alegre, Brazil. The image and appearance of housing estates and visual composition of buildings are investigated. Relationships between aesthetic aspects, resident attitudes and behavior concerning the housing environment, household characteristics and feelings about internal and external aesthetics of housing estates are further explored. Data were collected through questionnaires, structured interviews, physical measurements, observations of behavior, and physical traces. Data analysis was carried out qualitatively and quantitatively by means of nonparametric statistical tests. Results show, for example, that aspects associated with maintenance of dwelling facades dominate the explanations for positive external aesthetics evaluation, while aspects associated with maintenance and visual composition of facades lead the explanations for negative external aesthetics evaluation.

An Exploration of Relationships Among the Responses to Natural Scenes: Scenic Beauty, Preference, and Restoration

Han, K.-T. — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 12:27:22 PDT

This study argues that although scenic beauty, preference, and restoration are correlated due to their functional significance over evolution, they still can be distinguished from one another within natural landscapes. A total of 274 undergraduate students reported their responses with scenic beauty, preference, and restoration as the target variables while viewing 48 landscape slides of six biomes. In addition, a group of three judges evaluated three physical features presented in the landscape slides as controlling and descriptor variables, described as "complexity," "openness," and "water features." Statistical analyses showed that (a) the three target variables were all significantly and highly (rs > 0.94, p < 0.05) correlated; (b) the only mediated relationship among the target variables was preference mediating scenic beauty and restoration; and (c) scenic beauty and preference versus restoration could be distinguished from each other with respect to the types of natural landscapes and the three physical features.

Person-Environment (P-E) Fit Models and Psychological Well-Being Among Older Persons in Hong Kong

Phillips, D. R., Cheng, K. H. C., Yeh, A. G. O., Siu, O.-L. — Fri, 03 Apr 2009 11:50:27 PDT

Conceptualizations of person–environment (P–E) fit were examined in a range of residential environments in Hong Kong by comparing three P–E models: the congruence model, the priority model, and a modified version of a model from Massam (2002). The study aimed to identify how older people perceive their fit with their living environment in Hong Kong, a predominantly Chinese society. Older residents in old urban areas and new towns were compared on how they utilized and related to their environments. Three environmental domains (structural, informal, and formal) were used to assess the extent of P–E fit. A short version of WHOQoL (as a measure of psychological well-being, PWB) was used as the dependent variable in the regression model. Irrespective of demographic variables and location of residence, the congruence model provided the best account.

Permanent and Seasonal Residents' Community Attachment in Natural Amenity-Rich Areas: Exploring the Contribution of Landscape-Related Factors

Matarrita-Cascante, D., Stedman, R., Luloff, A. E. — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 16:11:02 PDT

Previous work on amenity-driven migration documented substantial differences between permanent and seasonal residents and the effects of these differences on community social dimensions. This study focuses on seasonal and permanent residents’ attachments to their local area. To increase our understanding of those factors associated with community attachment in amenity-rich areas, we incorporate attitudinal and behavioral measures associated with the biophysical environment in our model. We find natural landscape-based factors make an independent and important contribution to community attachment for both permanent and seasonal residents.

Cross-Validation of Abbreviated Perceived Residential Environment Quality (PREQ) and Neighborhood Attachment (NA) Indicators

Fornara, F., Bonaiuto, M., Bonnes, M. — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 18:31:37 PST

This article presents the validation by confirmatory factor analysis of abbreviated versions of instruments focusing on the neighborhood residential level, perceived residential environment quality indicators (PREQIs), and neighborhood attachment (NA). A sample of 1,488 residents in various neighborhoods of 11 Italian middle- and low-population cities filled in a questionnaire including 12 scales (N = 158), 11 PREQ scales, and 1 NA scale. The sample was randomly split-half in a calibration sample and a validation sample. Results showed good fit indexes for factorial structures including overall 19 PREQIs and 1 NA indicators, each one composed of three or four items (N = 66). Despite the high reduction of items, the shortened PREQIs and NA yield good or at least acceptable internal consistency, and fulfill convergent and discriminant construct validity criteria. Hence, they are well suited for use in research designs focusing on multiple measures of environmental quality of residential places.

Race, Place, and Neighboring: Social Ties Among Neighbors in Urban, Suburban, and Rural Contexts

Nation, M., Fortney, T., Wandersman, A. — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:52:33 PST

This study examined the relations between community type, race, and the types of neighboring behaviors in which residents engage, with a random sample of 1,367 participants from urban, suburban, and rural areas of a south-eastern state. Analyses controlled for several variables that are believed to influence neighboring. The multivariate analyses indicated a main effect for the type of community. However, the effect was contingent on the type of neighboring and disappeared once the covariates were included in the model. Similarly, main effects of race were found with African Americans engaging in more surveillance and Caucasians engaging in more social neighboring. The implications of these findings framing additional research on race and community type are discussed.

Testing Residential Solar Thermal Adoption

Schelly, C. — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 16:52:33 PST

Solar thermal is a viable technology that uses clean, renewable energy (the sun) to provide a primary heat source in homes. A combination of structural constraints and value-oriented motivators potentially influences solar thermal technology adoption. This study examines the extent to which solar thermal adoption correlates with structural or value-related factors through logistic regression modeling. Variables measuring socioeconomic circumstances, environmental concern, and ecological conditions are used to predict residential solar thermal technology adoption at the county level throughout the United States. This project provides insight regarding the role of structural and value-related factors, thus highlighting the significance of both structure and agency in explaining social change.

Houses of Worship as Restorative Environments

Herzog, T. R., Ouellette, P., Rolens, J. R., Koenigs, A. M. — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 17:13:21 PST

This study of the restorative benefits of visiting a house of worship was based on questionnaire responses by 781 participants. Factor analysis of motivations for visiting yielded five factors, three of which matched those from a previous study (spirituality, beauty, and being away) and two new ones (contemplation and obligation). Factor analysis of activities at a house of worship yielded four factors along a gradient corresponding roughly to degree of organized religious practice: rituals, traditional activities, asking, and nonreligious activities. Spirituality and asking (for help or forgiveness) were the strongest predictors of positive outcomes, whereas nonreligious activities predicted negative outcomes. The results support and extend Attention Restoration Theory. They indicate that a house of worship can provide a compatible setting for satisfying a spirituality motive and for the cognitive activity of asking which can aid in conserving and restoring directed attention as well as fostering meditation and reflection.

Do Homebuyers Want Green Features in Their Communities?

Noiseux, K., Hostetler, M. E. — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:41:51 PST

Green communities are a new form of development, but their affect on consumer behavior has not been well-researched. In June 2006, a mail survey of new homeowners was conducted in two pairs of green and conventional master-planned communities in Florida to determine if there were differences in their green design preferences, perceptions of the term green and retention of green marketing initiatives. Homeowners in conventional communities, compared with homeowners in green communities, expressed similar interests in many green design features, and most did not have negative connotations with the term green. Sales points used for marketing in the green communities were somewhat absorbed by their new residents; still, marketing practices can be diversified. The results suggest that green design features are an important consideration for people buying homes in master-planned communities.