UDIG is a research sub-group of the Center for Human Environments at The Graduate Center, CUNY whose founders are affiliated with the Ph.D. program in Environmental Psychology.

OUR MISSION

The User Design Information Group (UDIG) connects Environmental Psychology scholars with architects, planners and communities to develop research that informs and promotes equitable design initiatives. We have two aims in our work.  First is to serve both building occupants as well as the greater social context of the built environment through collaborative, interdisciplinary approaches that draw on user and community perspectives. Second, through research partnerships within the design field we seek to transform the field into one that consistently utilizes and recognizes the value of social science research in the design of the built environment.

OUR VISION

Our vision is for a socially responsible and inclusive design field whereby not only the clients’ needs are met but those of the users and the greater community are identified and met through collaborations with design practitioners to study the impact of design on people and the built environment.

OUR RESEARCH

We are interested in developing collaborative partnerships and research methodologies that assess the individual and social impacts of environmental design within architecture and related design fields. Our interdisciplinary approach seeks to formulate theory, impact policy, and effect practice through building a body of knowledge on people’s relationship to and perception of space and place.