Site Planning Here and There: Comparing Western Site Planning and Design and Eastern Feng Shui

Abstract

Feng Shui, in comparison with contemporary site design tools, employs a broad range of criteria in the observation and assessment of a site. Feng Shui includes information that is gathered at a different level of awareness and used to define what it is that causes a space to feel the way it does. As a result, Feng Shui may better respond to human needs and perceptions by providing the physical conditions that are comfortable for people using the space. One of the intentions of this study is to close the gap between Western ('here') and Eastern ('there') ideas. This study examines 1) whether or not Feng Shui and Western site planning are comparable, and 2) if Feng Shui can be a valid planning, design and evaluation tool for modern site planning. We examine and compare urban plazas from both Feng Shui and Western site planning perspectives. The study assessed a variety of existing urban places in the Tucson and Phoenix metropolitan areas, and Sedona, Arizona for conditions of human comfort as measured by 1) Feng Shui principles, and 2) contemporary site design recommendations. This study used the principles of Feng Shui as the criteria for evaluation of urban spaces based on human needs for physical comfort. Results of this study indicate that places that are well designed from a Feng Shui point of view are also perceived as well designed from a contemporary site design vantage. The outcome suggests that Feng Shui is a valuable tool in the site design process for Western designers.