| dc.description | I presented at a symposium entitled “Advances in Environmental Psychology” on June 3, 2011 at the 72nd Annual Convention of the Canadian Psychological Association held in Toronto, June 2- June 4, 2011. My presentation was an overview of the research literature regarding recent immigrants’ perception of and reactions to dwelling density and its effects on psychological well-being. Other presentations focused on environmental satisfaction at the workplace and promoting pro-environmental behaviors. About 30 people attended the session. My presentation was scheduled as the last presentation in the symposium and seemed to be well-received. There was only time for a few questions at the end of the session, including one question directly about my presentation, because the room needed to be cleared for attendees for the next session.
Attendance and participation in this conference has benefited me. I attended several sessions that focused on other environmental psychology topics. I also attended the business meeting of the environmental psychology section, of which I have been a member for over 20 years. | en |
| dc.description.abstract | International migration is a common phenomenon. The housing of an immigrant’s host society can be very different from that of the society of origin. As new immigrants’ experiences of and expectation about housing (e.g., space usage and meaning of home, living arrangements) are often influenced by sociocultural contexts different from that of their host country, they may encounter barriers to seeking and maintaining housing that suits their needs. Over time, immigrants are likely to change their behaviors as they settle in their new society. Immigrants also bring with them the culture of their country of origin, which is often reflected in the design of objects and housing and over time, contributing to the cultural diversity in the urban design of their host country.
Previous research on immigrant housing tend to focus on the macro, socio-demographic and policy levels (e.g., ownership rates, core housing needs). Apart from economical factors, sociocultural and psychological factors may have important influences on immigrants’ choice, preference, use, and satisfaction with housing. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of the research literature on housing of immigrants from several fields, primarily from cross-cultural studies, environment-behaviour studies, and environmental psychology. The focus is on the relationships between such socio-psychological processes as perception of crowding, privacy, social support, self-identity, perceived control, and place attachment and aspects of housing, such as dwelling type, density, living arrangement, home ownership, and proximity to other immigrants with similar cultural background. | en |
