Book review: architect knows best: environmental determinism in architecture culture from 1956 to the present

The idea that buildings could be used to reform human behaviour and improve society was fundamental to the ‘modernist’ architecture and planning of Walter Gropius, Le Corbusier and Jose Luis Sert in the first half of the 20th century. This book argues that today many of the most prominent architect-planners continue to design with a view to improving the behaviour of individual people and of society at large. Through interviews with major figures of recent years in Britain, Europe and America, Simon Richards provides a rewarding read for readers new and experienced, finds Andrew Molloy.