Uniformity of Campus Design and Conventionality of Student Culture: Explorations of Person–Environment Interaction

Abstract:

Campus maps and architectural images from institutional websites were used to compare 45 collegiate institutions cited in prior literature as manifesting traits of either conventional or nonconformist student cultures. Based on person–environment interaction theory, it was anticipated that the physical traits of campuses associated with conventional student cultures would be more uniform than those of campuses associated with nonconformist student cultures. Nonparametric tests revealed significant differences in the anticipated direction on three of six aspects of architectural design (i.e., color, roofline, and ornamentation). Differences in uniformity of campus layout were in the anticipated direction but fell slightly short of statistical significance.