About EP at UnB

History

The Envronmental Psychology Research Group (LPA – Laboratório de Psicologia Ambiental) had a “virtual” begnning in 1990 as the address of a mail survey evaluating the quality of life in the superquadras of the city of Brazília. Subsequently, acquired physical space in the Department of Social and Work Psychology in 1991. Was moved to the basement of the Central Institute of Science (ICC) in 1993 and finally re-emerged to the first floor of this building, where it is located since 1995.

Orientation

Brasília is our principal environment for our research. First – this is where we are located. Secondly, as a planned city, it allows to study, in an exemplary manner, the reciprocal relation between persons and their environment: To what extent and how is the behavior of the inhabitants of Brasília and the Federal District a consequence of this unique and planned environment? And, at the same time, how do people coming to live in Brasilia try to appropriate this newly planned city to satisfy their particular needs?

Given the planning and construction of Brasilia is based on the raconal urban planning, thus paying special attention to the dimensions of housing, transportation, work and leisure, the person-environment studies being conducted in the EPRGF were largely concentrated in these major dimension.

Considering the inherently transdisciplinary, multi-method and multi-theoretical nature of the field of Environmental Psychology, current and former students come not only from psychology, but also from biology, engineerijng, arquitecture and transportation.

Currently (2016), research activities are concentrated on urban issues such as mobility and well-being of older people.