Robert Sommer

Who is Robert Sommer?

Robert Sommer is an internationally known Environmental Psychologist and currently holds the position of Distinguished Professor of Psychology Emeritus at the University of California, Davis. Sommer has written 14 books and over 600 articles, he may be best known for his book Personal Space: The Behavioral Basis of Design, which discusses the influence of the environment on human activities.

"[Man] will adapt to hydrocarbons in the air, detergents in the water, crime in the streets, and crowded recreational areas. Good design becomes a meaningless tautology if we consider that man will be reshaped to fit whatever environment he creates. The long-range question is not so much what sort of environment we want, but what sort of man we want." ~ Robert Sommer