Part 2: More about depth bands...

It’s not too difficult to guess why humans have evolved to perceive the world in these three zones of spatial depth. Think about vista space: animals that far away cannot easily be caught and a person is far enough away not to be an immediate potential threat. We pay little attention to vista space for that reason. When things are closer we start to perceive a greater potential for threat. It’s no coincidence, I suspect, that the far edge of action space, at 30m or so, is about as far as someone can throw a rock or spear with accuracy! A tiger at 30m concentrates the mind much more than a tiger in the distance!

Within an arm’s length distance are things that we have generally chosen to be close to – they are ‘ours’, and we feel generally comfortable in their presence. Take for example the fact that we generally pay no attention to the parts of our own body which  are visible to us. But the potential for harm is obviously also much greater, and more immediate in this space. Things that are this close are more emotionally charged.

Sitting here, in a café in London, writing this, I’ve discovered an interesting test for the boundary between action space and personal space. I don’t like large spiders. On the wall opposite my table, perhaps 3 metres away, is a moderately large spider.  I don’t mind it as long as it stays in sight on that wall. But when I imagine it appearing on the end of my table, I feel distinctly uncomfortable. Imagining where that spider could sit without making me uncomfortable gives me some idea of where the boundaries of personal space may be for me, in this cafe!

Now as it happens the end of my table is about the same distance from me as the spider is. But there’s empty space between me and the spider, whereas the end of the table is definitely part of my personal space. The boundaries are not regular and inflexible – the distances of 2m and 30m are guides, not absolutes. Perhaps a test for where vista space ends and action space begins would be to imagine a tiger. At what point would you feel the need to simply run for it!

Imagine standing in a desert, or on a deserted beach. There are very few features close by to fix our personal space. I think this may well be one of the reasons many people find walking in open spaces so relaxing – there are very few potential threats to watch out for in personal space, and even action space may be benign, allowing us to focus for once on the vista of landscape.

 In cities, it’s quite a different experience. Action space is often packed with potential and real, threats. Watch out for that bus! Is he turning in here?! In cities we are even more watchful of our personal space, being close to so many strangers, as we walk, avoiding street furniture, watching for traffic.

(Next post: Depth bands in the city...)