Places of the Heart is an odd convergence. Colin Ellard walks along the intersection of psychology, architecture, and urban design. He studies precisely how various design elements make you feel and shares his knowledge in an accessible form.

This book is packed full of interesting and useful knowledge. Did you know that curves are more welcoming than straight lines? That aggressive lines and sharp corners can cause anxiety? That a few improvements to a facade can physically slow down pedestrian traffic in front of a big box store?

Like all good science writers (Levitin, Mlodinow, and Kahneman to name a few), Ellard takes technical experiments and translates them into compelling prose. He translates the material of scientific journals into the vernacular and forms them into consistent narrative.

Places of the Heart is worth reading for anyone with a love of design and the human condition.

—Colin Ellard, Places of the Heart: The Psychogeography of Everyday Life (New York: Bellevue Literary Press, 2015).