“The Phenomenon of Place”

Design theories are often derived from the larger philosophical and cultural movements where they draw their inspiration. This is certainly the case with the use of phenomenology and its application to environmental knowledge as expressed in the writings of Christian Norberg-Schulz (1926–2000). He draws on the phenomenological works of both Edmund Husserl and Martin Heidegger to develop a critique of modern architecture and urbanism and urge a return to place-based design.