Prospect-Refuge Theory
Ever wonder why certain garden spaces just feel right? There’s a reason, and it might be older than you think! Dive in with us as we explore Prospect-Refuge Theory, a fascinating concept from environmental psychology that explains why people are drawn to spaces that offer both shelter and a view. Discover how one overlooked corner of our trial garden led us to rethink design, and how you can use these principles to craft inviting, instinctively comforting landscapes!
New Ideas Using Old Favorites - Prospect Refuge Theory
When strolling along the boundary edge of North Creek HQ, there is an unassuming strip as you walk towards one of our rain gardens that is beside the main road. Under a canopy of mature staghorn sumac is an airy, low-maintenance mixed planting of northern sea oats, perennial sunflower, and mountain mint. Strangely enough, this commonly overlooked area is one of our favorite bits of accidental design in the trial garden. The twisting branches of the sumac provide shade while the mixed community of forbs has movement in the breeze, seasonal interest, and encloses you while not growing unruly. Neither the multi-stemmed tree nor the forbs obstruct the sightlines to the road but also hide you from view. It's a boundary planting that doesn't feel like a harsh wall of green, and the planting requires only an annual maintenance pass to keep an eye on opportunistic vines or saplings that may emerge. While contemplating this area and trying to figure out what made it so pleasing, we stumbled across the environmental psychology concept of the "prospect-refuge" theory.
What is prospect refuge theory?
Initially proposed by Jay Appleton in "The Experience of Landscape," first published in 1975, prospect-refuge theory suggests that humans are drawn to landscapes that offer both a clear view (prospect) and a safe, sheltered space (refuge). Based on evolutionary psychology, the concept suggests that our ancestors sought out such spaces for their survival, allowing them to see well enough to hunt prey while still having cover for protection from predators. The prospect-refuge theory posits that this innate need to be both protected and visible has persisted throughout history. Even though we are no longer concerned about lions attacking us, modern humans still feel most at ease in spaces that offer a view while sheltering us from the elements and other observers.
So, while this is interesting and all, what does this have to do with gardens and landscape design? In biophilic garden design, applying prospect-refuge principles can create spaces that are both visually appealing and psychologically comfortable for your clients. In most cases, it is doing what garden designers have always innately understood but now gives it a term to quickly convey an idea.
How to employ Prospect-Refuge Theory in garden design
Emphasize transitional spaces
Transitional spaces are a matter of course in design - the space "in-between." Instead of these spaces being incidental, make them a focus. Whether it's the transition between indoors to outdoors, from an enclosed pathway to an open lawn, or one room to another, thoughtfully integrate transition zones, particularly by utilizing partial screening, low walls, or plants that occupy different levels to soften the change from open to closed as fore, mid, and background planes are blurred.
Encourage vistas
Pinpoint vantage positions in the landscape - whether it is "borrowing a view" from outside the boundaries of the garden or it is created within the garden that becomes a focal point to gather, relax, or withdraw. The long sight line allows clients to scan the horizon. When we were hunter-gatherers, it meant we could assess threats more effectively. Nowadays, it means parents can keep an eye on their children while they play, and restaurant diners can feel anchored to a space while enjoying a nice view. Frame a clear line of vision with plants or low-height screens to focus on the prospect.
Offer refuge
In contrast to the vista position that allows a client's eyes to take in a wide panorama, an enclosed area provides a sense of protection and privacy. Protected spaces are especially effective when crafted into a nook, alcove, or seating area that encloses the client, offering refuge but also allowing them to look out onto a view. Think of a secluded patio, balcony, outdoor restaurant tables, or porch.
Design Principles
Just because a theory is based on ancient survival patterns, it doesn't mean we can skimp on tried-and-true design principles. The scale of the space plays a significant role in determining whether an area feels claustrophobic or cavernous. Selecting elements that work with the size of the space and creating structures that are in keeping with the scale will go a long way to ensuring a space is cozy without feeling cluttered or sheltered instead of exposed. Larger spaces require intentional design to create a sense of refuge, while smaller spaces naturally veer towards snug. Maintaining a sense of scale and balance will ensure the space is a harmonious blend of refuge and reveal. Consider using low hedging, half-walls, dotted evergreen mid-height shrubs, or screens to create a visual barrier without weighing down the design.
Move beyond hardscape
Plants are a key element that harkens us back to our primal past, so it's essential not to skip strategic plant selection in favor of more costly elements like hardscaping. Choose plants with an open structure and movement, such as grasses and airy perennials, to provide seasonal privacy and a lush backdrop for clients to enjoy their refuge. Plants aren't just for the flowers; they can blur the hard edges of a boundary, such as a high wall or fence. They can be a repeating element to link a long vista with the foreground, such as a landscape that looks upon a maple forest when planted with smaller maple specimens closer to the building. Plants can create a hazy effect, providing a light screen when relaxing in a seating area. While there's nothing better than a well-constructed patio to have dinner al fresco or a stable path for hospital visitors to travel from their cars to the building safely, the planting shouldn't be an afterthought. Skilled plant selection can take a landscape design from conventional to masterful and seamless.
Mid-height plant suggestions to provide a lush screen:
Hakonechloa macra
Carex cherokeensis
Gaura
Muhlenbergia capillaris
Thalictrum rochebrunianum
Chasmanthium latifolium
Panicum virgatum
Aruncus dioicus
Porteranthus trifoliatus
Calamagrostis brachytricha
Calamagrostis × acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'
Sorghastrum nutans
Sporobolus heterolepis
Plants to lower the eye and to enclose in a space:
Lonicera sempervirens
Clematis virginiana
Pair mid-height grasses and perennials under multi-stem trees with 12-20' tall canopies to make a truly irresistible pair. Lifted canopies underplanted with soft, undulating plants are becoming increasingly popular in the design world as more gardens are in small, suburban, or urban spaces where owners want to feel both spacious and private at the same time. The trees provide dappled shade and seasonal interest while also shielding garden occupants from taller buildings that overlook the garden. The smaller size and airy pruning style of multi-stem trees with a lifted canopy allow clients to see through the garden space while providing shelter. Our native understory trees, such as redbuds, chokeberries, dogwoods, sumacs, sassafras, birch, and witch hazels, perform wonderfully in smaller garden settings.
Plants take a space from good to great
There are classic areas where a well-curated plant list can turn an exposed site into a place where people gravitate to linger and enjoy. A trio of benches becomes a meet-up spot when planted with low shrubs and shade trees, a balcony becomes a vantage point with a few choice potted plants and a seat, and a concrete patio becomes a favorite dining venue when it looks upon a lush garden. While creators should note that there is a lack of quantitative analysis to prove the prospect-refuge theory as canon, and it appears that a person's response to the prospect-refuge theory varies based on their background and demographics, we think it's a worthwhile idea and warrants experimentation. If birds are more likely to come to your garden, provided there's food and shelter that hides them from predators, it makes sense that people would be drawn to similar requirements. Design with evolutionary psychology in mind and embrace our need for semi-protected spaces while maintaining clear sight lines by considering prospect-refuge theory in your next planting project. It's definitely made us pause while reviewing our trial areas.
Further Reading:
Manolakelli, A. (2023) Prospect-Refuge Theory. ArchPsych. https://www.archpsych.co.uk/post/prospect-refuge-theory
Slocombe, G. (2019) What is Prospect-Refuge? LandArchConcepts. https://landarchconcepts.wordpress.com/what-is-prospect-refuge/
Dosen, A. S., & Ostwald, M. J. (2016). Evidence for prospect-refuge theory: A meta-analysis of the findings of Environmental Preference Research. City, Territory and Architecture, 3(1). https://cityterritoryarchitecture.springeropen.com/articles/10.1186/s40410-016-0033-1
Kellert, S. R., & Calabrese, E. F. . (2015). The practice of Biophilic Design: A Simplified Framework. Biophilic Design . https://www.biophilic-design.com/
