Modern City in the Perception of Students–Architects

Abstract

The article discusses the problems of modern urban environment formation. Modern architectural environment is presented not only as a space organized by the law “benefit-strength-beauty”, but also as an environment that meets the needs and requirements of the modern user. All currently available terms “sustainable architecture” or “smart city” refer primarily to the economy and construction technology, but do not reflect the aesthetic, symbolic, artistic and psychological aspects of architectural activity. Along with the developed infrastructure and effective information technologies, the modern “smart city” is an architectural environment that largely determines human behavior; it is an environment filled with images, symbols and meanings that form the “image of the city” and should be understood by any user; it is an environment which is designed to promote harmonious existence and sustainable development of the individual. In this regard, the need for in-depth study of the environmental characteristics of the space is particularly important for a professional architect who will design a comfortable urban environment. The article presents the results of empirical studies of the “image of the city” formation among the future architects at the most important stage—the initial stage of professional development, as well as comparative and factor analysis of the features of the existing architectural environment perception on the basis of the semantic differential method. The researchers revealed similarities in the emotional assessments of certain city types among students-architects and students of other specialties; the differences in the perception of the proposed “image of the city” characteristics among students of different professional training. In conclusion, there are examples of solving various environmental problems in different countries.