ENVIRONMENTAL PERCEPTION OF YOUNG URBAN PLANNERS AFTER AN ECOLOGY COURSE: THE SURPRISE OF A TOTAL DISAGREEMENT

Abstract

A vast number of studies showed that the environmental perception, essential for a change of the mindset required for diminishing the global changes, can be modeled by education and media. Education appears to be a predictor of the general attitude towards the environment, but in special for the perception of issues specific to the urban environment. This study used a didactic exercise to test whether the importance of environmental issues is agreed upon the course. The findings were surprising; on the one hand, environmental issues were always considered a downside of the urban environment, but on the opposite side, their importance was always disagreed. The results suggest that young urban planners are not as receptive to the environmental issues, and most likely have a different system of values, which explains the lack of environmental concern in the contemporary Romanian cities.

Keywords

• architects
• attitude
• inter-disciplinary approaches
• holistic approach