Exploring the connection between urban planning and mental health
Good mental health is vital to the wellbeing of individuals, communities and societies. The World Health Organization champions the notion that there can be “no health without mental health”. According to the Lancet, mental health illnesses account for about 14 percent of the global burden of disease. There is now a recognized link between urban environments and mental health as cities are associated with more mental health problems compared to rural areas. Estimates include a 40% higher risk of depression, a 20% higher incidence of anxiety and a higher prevalence of schizophrenia. There are several factors associated with urban living that can affect mental health such as poverty, unemployment, overcrowding, noise pollution, poor infrastructure and lack of green space. As the world’s population transitions to becoming primarily urban, examining the benefits and drawbacks of urban development on mental health is as important as ever.
What role can urban planning play in the connection between the cities and mental health? There is much debate as to whether cities cause increased mental health illnesses as there are gaps in the research and several challenges including accounting for confounding factors and the different ways to measure and quantify mental health impacts. Perhaps urban planning can be a tool to promote mental health and wellness. The Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health has suggested the following urban planning polices and design strategies to promote positive mental health outcomes:
Green places: Humans have an important relationship with nature and having access to green spaces is likely to maintain mental health and wellbeing. Make sure green spaces and parks are abundant and accessible in urban environments.
Active places: Encourage physical activity by designing for it for example with accessible walking paths, bikes paths and active transport. There is plenty of evidence to suggest an association between physical activity and mental wellness.
Pro-Social Places: Urban design should promote community integration and belonging between residents especially for vulnerable groups like visible minorities, seniors, migrants and youths. It is importan to involve these groups in the design and development process.
Safe Places: A sense of safety and security is important to people’s mental wellbeing. Create communities that minimize exposure to urban dangers such as traffic, crime, noise and environmental pollutants. This can involve appropriate street lighting and surveillance, crime prevention through environmental design (CPTED) and other community safety programs.
There is no one solution to alleviating the mental health epidemic that is ubiquitous in urban areas. Although there is an association between urban development and greater negative mental health outcomes, there also exist some positive correlations. For example, research suggests that living in urban environments reduces dementia and suicide rates. Cities and urban areas also offer more economic opportunities for their inhabitants. There is much work to be done to understand the causal relationships between urban development and mental illness but urban planning is an important tool and could perhaps serve as a buffer against the effects of poor mental health.
References and Further Reading
Littman, T. Urban Sanity: Understanding Urban Mental Health Impacts and how to Create Saner, Happier Cities: Victoria Transport Policy Institute. March 2020 https://www.vtpi.org/urban-sanity.pdf
Mind the GAPS Framework: The Impact of Urban Design and Mental Health and Wellbeing. Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health. May 2016 https://www.urbandesignmentalhealth.com/mind-the-gaps-framework.html
