PSE
The PSE team consists of social geographers and psychologists who focus on antecedents of pro-environmental behaviours (PEB) and urban space perceptions. Our group studies climate change perception, energy transition, green behaviours, spatial and social changes in real urban and rural settings. While psychology captures the individualized reasons for uptaking PEB, human geography brings a more general, systemic context.
Our latest research projects include: (1) place attachment and the role of the physical and social features of spaces in the development of people’s emotional bonds with places; (2) perception of a place’s history and place continuity in the development of place identity; (3) collective memory of cities and its relationship to openness toward the cities’ multicultural past and present; (4) mobility, as related to emotional bonds with places, including the role of having more than one living place (studies of second homeowners); (5) pro-environmental attitudes and behaviours, as related to place perception and social (national) identity; (6) perception of place changes, including the changes due to the revitalization and gentrification processes of degraded urban spaces (also in the context of spatial planning); (7) effects of the transformations of urban spaces due to tourism development, such as the rapid development of Airbnb services and transnational gentrification; and (8) socioeconomic and environmental determinants of leisure time activities in terms of intergeneration effects.
In October 2021, we will open a new Institute of Psychology building with environmental and social psychology laboratory space.
IMSErt
The aim of the University Centre of Excellence IMSErt – Interacting Minds, Societies, Environments is to go beyond the boundaries of traditionally, ideographically (descriptive) understood humanities and social sciences and move towards pioneering research, big data analysis, quantitative and experimental research focused on the nomothetical explanation of cultural processes (i.e. aiming at formulating regularities and laws). Activities of the Centre focus on creating truly interdisciplinary projects. Reflection on humanities and social sciences blending seamlessly with natural and exact sciences and using modern technologies (including digital and experimental tools in humanities) will allow innovative research projects.
The Centre implements research in linguistics, archaeology, psychology, history of knowledge, memory studies, social geography, environmental studies, economics, finance and management and others. Five leading themes have been identified and will be implemented in the Centre:
- Past Environment, Societies and Cultures – Multidisciplinary Perspective;
- People, Space and Environment;
- Evolution of Communication Systems;
- Knowledge Complexity and Memory;
- Sustainable Development and the Society of the Future.
Among the initiatives that the Centre plans to implement is the establishment of the Foresight Lab, dealing with forecasting the future and close cooperation with the socio-economic environment and broad international cooperation. We will also encourage the University’s staff to implement their projects in cooperation with the Centre and engage in independent and external funded projects. The idea behind the Centre is to promote new concepts and ways of practising humanities and social sciences, connected with the achievements of the world’s top scientific achievements.