Listening to CBC this morning I heard a consultant form Calgary speak about creating livable cities. He was adamant in his view that we need to close out the voice of car owners and redesign our cities for walkers and cyclists. He referenced the widespread practice in Europe of slower traffic and creating much more space for people to walk, move and live.

During his interview he made the statement ” good design breeds good behavior”. He was referring to urban living, but his comment stuck with me all the way to the office. How many times have I worked with clients to improve the employee morale and interpersonal relations, focusing on roots causes, while only giving superficial attention to the physical environment that people are working in?

Two cases immediately came to mind where the physical lay out and structural conditions of the workplace where key contributors to poor workplace behavior. Space that isolates people from one another, inhibits connection and tests our physical limits affects our work and our relationships. In addition to creating livable cities, good design surely creates livable workplaces…

So how does your workplace stack up? Does your space invite bad behavior? Something to think about…