Impact of urban planning on happiness and mental health

     Subjective well-being and mental health are incredibly complex concepts that are influenced by a plethora of factors. But research suggests there may be a single perpetrator responsible for a lot of our problems - we are building our cities wrong. 

    A crucial aspect of happiness is social interaction and a sense of community, which urban and suburban sprawl greatly disturb. People are isolated in their far-apart private homes and gated apartment complexes, which don't allow for interaction. On the contrary, compact, walkable, and mixed-use urban form, with availability of public spaces and entertainment/leisure venues is conducive to forming bonds with neighbours, brief interactions with strangers, and finding friends and partners. Walkability is also associated with slower rates of cognitive decline in adults (1).

    Hobbies and recreational activities directly impact our happiness. Dense, mixed-use neighbourhoods provide easy access to green space and areas or venues allowing for practicing what we enjoy, as well as reduce commute times granting us more free time.

  Additionally, walkability and cyclability are conducive to increased travel satisfaction, as they may reduce travel times and promote more scenic routes, as opposed to private-motor-vehicle and public transport (2). It is also worth noting that cities highly rated in the Global Liveability Ranking (regarded as providing the best quality of life) are all relatively walkable and have good public transit. (3)

   Physical health plays a major part in our happiness and mental wellbeing. The links between urban form and physical shape can be explored in my previous post.

   

(1) https://www.universityherald.com/articles/12771/20141109/easy-to-walk-communities-can-blunt-cognitive-decline.htm

(2) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965856418312941

(3) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_Liveability_Ranking

https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0264275121001293?token=85A4E450F81ECE5B9700BEF6E3B030D33B28BE87E5DA4E0B86CA85E4F2F0C26341FE7F1B450FFB096AE8E05BEFED1575&originRegion=eu-west-1&originCreation=20220322185149

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0965856418312941

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-12-11/walkability-is-good-for-you

https://www.ted.com/talks/peter_calthorpe_7_principles_for_building_better_cities

https://medium.com/happy-cities/happiness-framework-ead6430997ca

https://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_speck_4_ways_to_make_a_city_more_walkable