Beyond the Architectural Style Debates: Why We Might Say "It’s the Geometry, Stupid” (?)

New research confirms the transcendent (and surprisingly cutting-edge) qualities of built environments that enrich our lives and promote our well-being – and that may be the key to the durable, flourishing, livable cities, towns and suburbs we must build for the future

ABOVE: A few examples of the endless rich geometries from around the world and across eras, including a contemporary example. Also included are several examples of naturally occurring geometries that are related. We naturally perceive these geometries as beautiful -- and as research shows, they promote our well-being, and the livability of our environments.

Amid the often-heated arguments over modern versus traditional architecture, we risk missing a deeper and more consequential truth: that the human response to the built environment is not primarily an issue of style, but one of geometry. New research shows that, from Kyoto to Cairo, from Renaissance Florence to indigenous villages in Africa and the Americas, traditional architectures around the world and across history all have exhibited commonly recurring geometric patterns—hierarchical scales, gradients of detail, symmetry and asymmetry in balance, spatial enclosure, and other perceptual cues that foster a sense of harmony, coherence, and livability.

Yet too often, debates rage about the “correct” style that is appropriate to our time. So many of those debates over architecture devolve into shouting matches over who is “pastiche”, who is “arrogant”, who is “modern”, who is "reactionary", and so on—but it seems these arguments miss the point. Perhaps, paraphrasing the famous slogan of the 1992 Clinton campaign about the economy in the US, we could say, it’s not the style, “it’s the geometry, stupid.”

Cutting-edge research across multiple disciplines, including neuroscience, environmental psychology, urban planning, and architecture, is revealing that certain geometric qualities of the built environment are deeply connected to our health, our well-being, and our sense of beauty and enjoyment. These qualities go beyond style or historical period. Instead, they reflect a kind of spatial logic, found across many cultures and eras: patterns of complex symmetry, web-network relationships, integrated scales, fractal complexity, and coherent structure featuring "organized complexity"—all of which mirror characteristics of the natural world.

These qualities are found in abundance in many traditional architectures around the world and through history. Unfortunately, they are all too rare in contemporary environments, where technocratic or artistic prerogatives dominate - often with harmful consequences for health and well-being.

Studies show that environments exhibiting the geometric properties of natural environments tend to reduce stress, promote cognitive restoration, and improve well-being. They're also more likely to be perceived as beautiful or harmonious. This isn't merely a matter of taste—it’s a matter of how our brains and bodies respond to the spaces around us, and whether that's conducive to our well-being, or harmful.

These geometric characteristics also shape how we engage with our environment in practical and ecological ways. Neighborhoods that embody such qualities often include human-scale proportions, walkable street networks, and diverse, textured façades. Their appealing characteristics encourage walking, cycling, lingering, and outdoor activity -- behaviors that are not only healthier for individuals, but also for communities and the planet. They reduce car dependency, lower emissions, and allow people to live well in more compact, resource-efficient neighborhoods. The form and pattern of these places—tree-lined streets, public squares, and intricate streetscapes—often mimic ecological systems themselves, with diverse, layered, and interconnected structures that support resilience and adaptability.

Importantly, these qualities also foster stronger social interaction, an important antidote to the social isolation and divisiveness that is increasingly common today. When people feel comfortable, stimulated, and safe in their environment, they are more likely to spend time outside their homes—walking, lingering, talking to neighbors, and engaging in public life. Urban form that supports this kind of sociability tends to include pedestrian-friendly streets, places to gather, mixed-use buildings, and visual cues that draw people out and invite engagement. The geometry of these places—whether a graceful curve in a pathway or the nested rhythm of doorways and windows—subtly guides our movements and interactions. The result is not just a more aesthetically pleasing city, but one that cultivates stronger social ties and a greater sense of belonging.

As this body of evidence grows, it challenges the assumption that beauty and function are separate, or that style debates are the most important design issue. Instead, the focus is shifting to measurable structural properties of spatial geometry that support life—biological life, social life, and ecological sustainability. The possible combinations of these geometries are vast, as we can see from the endless varieties of beautiful traditional architecture around the world. This research opens up a powerful path forward: to design cities not merely as collections of buildings, but as living systems shaped by the same structural principles that have guided nature and culture for millennia.

Nor is this a mandate to reproduce only the successful forms of the past—although revival is certainly a time-honored practice, resulting in so many of the most beloved and enduring places in human history. Our contemporary attitudes forbidding it have resulted in a vast impoverishment of the rich genetic material available for placemaking. But there is also ample space for innovation, for a mix of the new and the old, and for new artistic expressions -- so long as they are aimed at enriching the lives of people and place.

There is also a hard truth in these findings for those of us working to build contemporary environments: too often, we have let our artistic prerogatives and ideologies, or our technical concerns, obscure the fundamental human properties needed in our built environments. The evidence is clear that we have to do better. It's ultimately a matter of professional responsibility, and an imperative for professional reform in our time.

At the 62nd International Making Cities Livable conference in Potsdam, Germany (October 15-19, 2025), we will hear from several leaders in this exciting new field of research, as well as practitioners, policymakers and educators who are driving forward reforms. Here are a few of them:

Dr. Alexandros Lavdas, from EURAC Research in Bolzano, Italy, will discuss how organized complexity in urban form—hierarchical scaling, richness, and coherence—engages the brain in ways that promote comfort, interaction, and emotional connection. Drawing from neuroscience and urban theory, he shows how these spatial properties foster both individual and social flourishing.

University of Cambridge researcher Cleo Valentine will present new findings on how certain visual patterns in building façades—especially repetitive, high-contrast designs—can induce subtle neurological stress known as allostatic loading. Using AI-generated façade studies, her work shows how the visual environment can contribute to chronic physiological strain, adding to our understanding of how architecture affects health at a biological level.

Professor Justin Hollander will explore how spatial design influences cognitive function, emotional comfort, and mental clarity. His research in cognitive architecture shows that complexity, coherence, and legibility in urban form can reduce stress and support better memory, navigation, and mental restoration—critical benefits for dense, walkable neighborhoods.

Dr. Nikos Salingaros will highlight how fractal geometry—patterns found in nature and in traditional architecture—supports human well-being through biophilic responses. His work shows that mid-level fractal structures can reduce stress and enhance our experience of beauty, helping to reframe ornament and geometry as essential to human-centered design.

These and many other speakers will dive into the new research, and its practical implications for design, building and governance today, aimed at making cities livable. Their work shows that the geometry of our built environments—and the beauty we perceive—is deeply connected to our human biology, behavior, and ecological well-being. Their insights point to a new paradigm in design—one that supports livability life-affirming spatial qualities, with specific tools and strategies to drive forward positive change.

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For more information on the 62nd IMCL conference, October 15-19, 2025, please visit https://www.imcl.online/potsdam-2025.