Sure, spaces shape their inhabitants—but to what extent? A new research initiative from the Van Alen Institute in New York and the Sustainable Society Network+ in London seeks to answer that question by exploring how the built environment perpetuates individuals’ vulnerability to impulsive behavior. Among them: drug use, alcohol consumption, Internet-use habits, and shopping. Ecologies of Addition, which was presented to the public on Jan. 29 and joins the institute’s multi-year series Elsewhere: Escape and the Urban Landscape, is led by researchers from King’s College London and guided by an advisory group representing the fields of neuroscience, public health, urban planning, substance-abuse treatment, and technology. They aim to build a digital app that can be used to relate behavior and location in cities worldwide.