Aesthetic preferences for traditional versus contemporary architecture: Cross-national evidence from real-world buildings

Aesthetic experiences of the built environment represent an important pathway linking cities and subjective well-being. Despite growing interest in public evaluations of architectural design, existing research is largely based on single-country samples. This study aims to advance understanding of aesthetic preferences for building facades using survey data from two national contexts, Norway and Greece ( N = 2997). It examines whether contemporary or traditional buildings are preferred and how sociodemographic and spatial characteristics relate to building preferences. Respondents in both countries evaluated the same four pairs of buildings, with each pair consisting of a contemporary and a traditional facade, both located in Norway. The results show that traditional architectural designs were preferred over contemporary architectural designs across all comparisons. This pattern was significant in seven out of eight pair tests. Public preferences for traditional architecture were similar across the two countries despite all buildings being located in Norway. Two of the four comparisons involved contemporary buildings that had received architectural awards or nominations, and traditional buildings were preferred over these professionally acclaimed buildings as well. In addition, women and residents of denser urban environments exhibited stronger preferences for traditional designs. Together, these findings raise important questions for architectural education, urban development practices, urban planning regulations, and public participation in shaping the qualities of the built environment.