Urban Design and Mental Health
Social life is one of the most important components of human happiness and mental wellbeing, and public spaces are places where the magic of the city’ social life happens. Public means open to all, but how is it actually?
Wheelchair accessibility is required in building regulations, but how can a city be prepared for invisible disabilities or ailments like mental health issues, dementia, depression, autism, or cognitive impairments? WHO estimates that 1 in every 8 people worldwide lives with a mental disorder, and many of them struggle with adaptive behaviour and intellectual functioning limits in a variety of commonplace social and practical contexts.
Why is it significant while discussing city planning? In urbanised areas, there are 40% more people with depression and 20% more with anxiety. Moreover, in cities there are twice as many people with schizophrenia as in rural areas. The numbers are growing as more people move to cities. How can we treat our environment as an opportunity for citizen’ empowerment, a place for self-regulation, and social integration?
The aim of the walk is to attain more understanding and empathy for invisible disabilities in order to create an inclusive and healing environment and make our cities thrive. We will walk in the shoes of 3-5 personas and learn about their experiences with various types of urban spaces: a train station, a public library, a pedestrian street, and a park. Together, we will assess each chosen place to determine whether it is inclusive, what assets they have, and where possible issues lie. The workshop will take 3 hours and include an introduction, guidance, participants’ personal observations, and discussion.