Sebastian Kurtenbach investigates the contextual effects of residential areas using an innovative multi-method design, focusing on the large housing estate of Cologne-Chorweiler (Mitte). He particularly addresses the negotiation process between the environment and the individual in segregated residential areas. To better explain the contextual effects of residential areas than has been done previously, he formulates and tests a theoretical model of environmentally mediated learning. The author also fills a gap in empirical studies on new housing developments from the 1960s and 1970s, dispelling the notion that there is a singular "new housing estate." Instead, he highlights that there are different sub-quarters, each forming its own experiential spaces.