How Cities Shape Us: The Psychology of Place with Dr. Leidy Klotz

What if the cities we build are also building something within us?In this episode of Building Better Cities, Kate Gasparro sits down with behavioral scientist and University of Virginia engineering professor Dr. Leidy Klotz to explore how the built environment shapes how we live, behave, connect, and feel.Drawing from his new book, In a Good Place, Leidy argues that the places around us can either support or frustrate three fundamental psychological needs: agency, competence, and connection. Together, Kate and Leidy examine how urban design and placemaking influence our everyday lives, what our investments in urban infrastructure and city development reveal about what we value, and whether the way we build cities can actually shape our culture and behavior.From public spaces and playgrounds to transportation and infrastructure, this episode asks us to reconsider what it really means to build better cities—and whether the ultimate purpose of city building is not simply what it does, but what it enables between people.Topics discussed: urban development, city development, urban infrastructure, urban design, placemaking, sustainable cities, the built environment, infrastructure development, community building, public space, human-centered design, and the psychology of place.Resources:Subtract: The Uptapped Science of Less (Dr. Leidy Klotz)Curb cuts (99% Invisible)Hierarchy of Needs: Application in Urban Design and Community-Building (Mallory Baches)Self-Determination Theory and the Facilitation of Intrinsic Motivation, Social Development, and Well-Being (Richard Ryan and Edward Deci)Why do we focus on trivial things? The Bikeshedding, explained. (The Decision Lab)Long-Term Effects of a Control-Relevant Intervention With the Institutionalized Aged (Judith Rodin and Ellen Langer)