Abstract

This article describes research presented at the 11th International Conference on the Constructed Environment: Building the Anthropocene. The inquiry, an interdisciplinary endeavor headed by faculty from Law and the School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape at the University of Calgary, aims to understand the connection between law and form, and to identify how that relationship impacts the built environment. In this article, the relationship is examined through the example of sunlight protection. In particular, sunlight protection is a mechanism protecting public access to sunlight and enjoyment of particularly designated areas. On the other hand, private land-owners have limited rights to protect the amount of sunlight their lots receive, and to prevent future development from infringing on it. In each case, law both dictates and responds to form, demonstrating the dynamic nature of the relationship and the potential for policy makers to exploit the law-form nexus to achieve particular outcomes.