Based on a new way of describing and analyzing the kinds of spatial patterns produced by buildings and towns, this study presents a new theory of space: how and why it is a vital component of how societies work. The authors examine what it is about different types of societies that leads them to adopt different spatial forms and from this general theory they outline a "pathology of modern urbanism" in today's social context.

Houses are not just assemblages of individual rooms but intricate patterns of organised space, governed by rules and conventions about the size and configuration of rooms, which domestic activities go together, how the interior should be decorated and furnished and what kinds of household object are appropriate in each setting, how family members relate to one another in different spaces, and how and where guests should be received and entertained in the home. Decoding Homes and Houses introduces new, computer-based techniques designed to retrieve and interpret this wealth of social and...