Universal Principles of Design, Updated and Expanded Third Edition

163 Savanna Preference

A preference for savanna-like environments over other types of environments.

People tend to prefer savanna-like environments — open areas, scattered trees, water, and uniform grassiness — to other natural environments that are simple, such as deserts; dense, such as jungles; or complex, such as mountains. The preference is based on the belief that early humans who preferred savanna-like environments enjoyed a survival advantage over humans who lived in other environments. This advantage ultimately resulted in the development of a genetic disposition favoring savanna-like environments that manifests itself today.1

The evolutionary link to savanna environments in early hominids is hotly debated; the preference may also ...