Quantitative Methods for Architecture Research: Lessons from the Social Sciences

Architectural research can benefit from quantitative research methods commonly used in the social sciences. Through a demonstration study of the relationship of health, wellbeing, ethnic diversity, and investment in the built environment, this article illustrates several such methods (e.g., exploratory factor analysis, logistic regression, and multiple linear regression) and their possible application to the study of the built environment. The social science techniques outlined here may prove useful in undertaking rigorous scholarship and in fostering greater exchange of findings and theoretical positions among scholars in the field. © 2020, © 2020 Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture.