Better mental health through urban design

"Individuals residing in cities are more likely to develop a mental illness such as depression, anxiety or schizophrenia than those that live in rural areas. When individuals are suffering from a mental health illness, it affects more than just the individual - it impacts their surroundings as well. In this article we explore how cities not only affect mental health but also how designers can help reduce mental health illnesses related to urban design."

from: https://caddetailsblog.com/post/2017/3/20/xzf1wv7lsiu03d6npru0dexj31b5hj

also from:  https://qz.com/934976/mental-health-problems-of-people-who-live-in-cities-need-to-be-solved-by-both-urban-designers-and-health-professionals/

"But urban planners can design the urban environment in ways that systematically address mental-health opportunities. For example:

• Expanding access to green spaces—such as parks, street trees, or even office-window views of nature—has been proven to benefit mental health.
• “Active design” is not simply a physical health effort: Because regular exercise can be an effective way to address some forms of mild depression (as well as reducing anxiety and some of the symptoms of dementia, ADHD, and even schizophrenia), interventions like creating walking circuits in a park or installing safe cycling infrastructure can have substantial mental-health benefits.
• Positive social interaction increases self esteem and feelings of belonging as well as mitigating loneliness and anxiety. In order to encourage this, public spaces can install features like benches and chess tables to facilitate social interaction and provide settings for community activities."