The New York Times reported on how GIS is being used to interpret history. The argument being put forth by scholars is that an understanding of the spatial qualities at a point in time can help to understanding how and why events unfolded. Reversing this line of thoughts leads to the suggestion that how we order space today will have an impact on how future histories unfold.
I am very sympathetic to the idea that how we inhabitant a space affects many scales of our existence. On an individual level an examples would be how views of nature can reduce the amount of time we need to heal.
Or on a larger societal scale, how walkable streets can lead to a reduction in the obesity epidemic. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0277953609005395
I chose the last two links based on the first things that popped up from a google search. There is a wealth of information associated with both those topics if you want to learn more. The main point is the physical organization of space through the design professions of planning, landscape architecture, engineering, and architecture play a vital role in how societies both past and present function. A pretty basic premise, but I figure that basic, is a good starting point.
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