Quality, value, satisfaction, trust, a

For the psycho-sociology of environment, a key concept in the relationship between people and their
environment is appropriation. Appropriation is a process by which people exert their influence on the
physical environment (Fischer 1997; Moles and Rohmer, 1998). Through appropriation people create
space‘s experience and build attachement to a place (Bones et Secchiaroli, 1995; Moles et Rohmer, 1982;
De Certeau, 1980; Fischer, 1981).
Every physical act is an appropriation practice (Moles et Rohmer, 1977), but two elementary
aspects have been distinguished (Fischer, 1981): visual activity (minimal means of
appropriation) and exploration (based on movement and contact).
These appropriation practices, once combined, constitute appropriation strategies. These are ways of
exploring the physical environment and are formal structures limited in number. Each has an underlying
signification, referring to the “lived” experience in space.
Moles and Rohmer (1977), like Titus and Everett (1995), have proposed the existence of two main
strategies: one functional (epistemic) and one ludic (hedonic). But they proposed to split hedonic
strategies into active and passive strategies. These differ from each other by the level of involvement of
the person. Active strategies require high involvement (touching a product) whereas passive strategies
require lower involvement (just looking at the product).
The two empirical investigations on the topic have been carried out in a museum and in a
subway (see Tables 1,2 and 3). These studies have not revealed three strategies but four: the first
three mentioned above, and another one understood as a denial of the environment and elements
in it.
Author Space studied Appropriation practices observed
Véron and Cultural Walking: point of entrance, space between people and exhibit panels, order of the visit, stoppings
Levasseur
(1991)
exhibition
Floch (1990) Parisian Actions: absorbed in a book, seating, head lowered; walks straight to a point on the platform (connection);
subway stops to an exhibition (guitarist); follows the flow, adopt the rhythm of the flow; sits up to look at the
landscape; listen to the music (walkman), looking nowhere; listens to a conversation; zigzags; does not
give a helpful hand to a person with heavy luggage at a ticket barrier; is not (like other people) affected by
repeated billboards; looks at people getting in; speeds up to avoid getting blocked by opposite flows
Table 1. Appropriation practices in two non-retail spaces
Véron and
Levasseur
Type 1 Type 2 Type 3 Type 4
Fish
Walks in the middle of the
Butterfly
zigzags, left-right-left–
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Ant
When he stops, he is close to
Grasshopper
Jumps from one point to