Environmental aesthetics

Definition and introduction

Aesthetics is defined as the study, science, or philosophy that deals with beauty and with human judgments concerning beauty. The environment refers to our surroundings – specifically, those that are perceived. Although environment encompasses perceived objects and space of varied size and scale, generally, when environment is used in conjunction with aesthetics, ‘environment’ and ‘landscape’ are used interchangeably.

Environmental aesthetics can thus be defined broadly as the interaction between an individual and the environment, in relation to beauty. The human-environment interaction includes both the physical environment and the objects that occupy it, as well as the psychological and physiological processes of human perception and cognition. Any definition of environmental aesthetics should include both the environment and the human experience of it that give rise to a class of aesthetic experiences.

The appreciation of and affection for beautiful...