Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health
Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health
| Environmental health policy think tank | |
| ISIN | 🆔 |
| Founded 📆 | 2015 |
| Founder 👔 | |
Area served 🗺️ | |
Key people | Dr Layla McCay (Director) |
| Members | |
Number of employees | |
| 🌐 Website | www |
| 📇 Address | |
| 📞 telephone | |
The Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health (UD/MH) is a non-profit multidisciplinary virtual think tank founded in 2015 and currently based from Tokyo, Japan. It operates under the mission of "curating and creating research and dialogue to inspire, motivate and empower policymakers and urban practitioners to build mental health into their projects for a healthier, happier urban future."[1] [2] The UD/MH publishes the Journal of Urban Design and Mental Health which features editorials, original research and commentaries of the field. In addition UD/MH hosts the Sanity and Urbanity blog.
Origins[edit]
UD/MH was founded in 2015 because of imbalance in the level of conversation between physical and mental health, and built environment at conferences of urban designers and medical professionals.[3]
Mission and vision[edit]
The Centre of Urban Design and Mental Health aims to be the hub for policymakers, architects, transport planners, health professionals, urban planners, developers, designers, engineers, geographers, and others who want to design better mental health into cities, and drive integration of mental health into urban design as standard.[4] Through advocacy work and by sharing and increasing knowledge across these disciplines, UD/MH aim to use evidence based research to develop city-specific approaches of fostering good mental health through urban design.[5]
Urban design affects mental health[edit]
Up to one in four people will develop a mental health problem during their lifetimes. Recent meta-analysis by Peen and colleagues in 2010[6] revealed that people living in cities experience 21% more anxiety disorders and 39% more mood disorders than people living in rural areas. [7] For years evidence which aims to explain this trend has shown associations between a range of factors associated with urban living and mental health conditions. Furthermore projections from the UN show that the number of people living in cities will continue to increase dramatically in upcoming years[8]
Mind the G A P S[edit]
Mind the GAPS is a policy framework developed in January 2016, which reflects the evidence of detrimental impact of some urban environments on mental health.[9] [10]
Green places – There are important relationships between accessible green spaces and mental health and wellbeing. Access to natural settings in neighbourhoods and in the course of people’s daily routines is likely to improve and maintain mental health and wellbeing.[11] [12]
Active places – Positive, regular activity improves mood, wellbeing and many mental health outcomes. Embedding action opportunities from active transport to outdoor gyms into places helps integrate exercise, social interactions, and a sense of agency into daily routines.[13]
Pro-Social places – Urban design should facilitate positive, safe and natural interactions among people and promote a sense of community, integration and belonging. This includes potentially vulnerable groups like refugees, migrants, young and older people, with multi-faceted engagement from passive observation to active participation. Creating interesting, flexible public places should involve citizens at each stage of design and development.[14]
Safe places – A sense of safety and security is integral to people’s mental health and wellbeing. Urban dangers include traffic, getting lost, environmental pollutants, and risks posed by other people. Appropriate street lighting and surveillance, distinct landmarks, and people-centric design of residential, commercial and industry routes are important. A balanced approach is necessary: a safe environment improves accessibility but risk-averse city design can reduce action opportunities and people’s sense of agency and choice.[15]
Journal of Urban Design and Mental Health[edit]
First published in February 2016, the journal of the UD/MH features editorials, original research, commentaries, and case studies relating to the links between urban design and mental health.
References[edit]
- ↑ "Building better mental health into cities from the ground up". The Guardian. 2016-08-17. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ↑ "Designing mental health into cities: the next frontier for urban design". Design Council. 2017-05-11. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ↑ "Urban design centre launched to tackle mental health". Cities Today. 2015-07-10. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ↑ "What does it take to build a resilient city?". The Guardian. 2017-04-20. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ↑ "Mental-health issues can't be solved by psychologists alone—city design can help, too". Quartz. 2017-03-17. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ↑ Peen, J (2010). "The current status of urban rural differences in psychiatric disorders" (PDF). 121. Acta Psychiatr Scand: 83–94..
- ↑ "Could bad buildings damage your mental health?". The Guardian. 2016-09-16. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ↑ UN (2014). "World Urbanization Prospects: The 2014 Revision. Department of Economic and Social Affairs Population Division". UN. Retrieved 2017-05-12..
- ↑ "Mind the GAPS framework". Centre of Urban Design and Mental Health. 2017. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ↑ "The 4 'Spaces' Cities Need to Make People Happier". NYMagazine. 2016-12-29. Retrieved 12 May 2017.
- ↑ WHO (2016). "Urban Green Spaces and health - a review of the evidence". WHO Europe. Retrieved 11 May 2017..
- ↑ Croucher, K (2007). "The links between Green Space and health, a critical literature report" Check
|url=value (help) (PDF). 1 (5). Retrieved 11 May 2017.. - ↑ Stathopolou, G (2006). "Exercise Interventions for Mental Health". 13 (2). Clinical Psychology: 179–193. doi:10.1111/j.1468-2850.2006.00021 (inactive 2018-07-09). Retrieved 11 May 2017..
- ↑ Corcoran, R (2006). "Planning for Wellbeing". 1 (5). Centre of Urban Design and Mental Health. Retrieved 11 May 2017..
- ↑ Meyer, OL (2014). "Determinants of mental health and self-rated health: a model of socioeconomic status, neighborhood safety, and physical activity". American Journal of Public Health. Am J Public Health. 104 (9): 1734–41. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2014.302003. PMC 4151927. PMID 25033151..
External links[edit]
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