Urban green spaces, child outdoor play, and the role of independent mobility
The foundation of children’s active lifestyles rests upon parents’ contentment with urban green spaces. This underscores the vital role urban planners and designers play in addressing parental concerns within these areas, thus amplifying children’s outdoor play and self-reliant exploration.
Identification of urban environment indicators associated with mental wellbeing
Evaluating urban environments is crucial for enhancing mental well-being. Identifying key indicators and developing a robust framework are essential steps in effectively measuring the impact. This method is fundamental for designing targeted strategies to improve mental health outcomes through informed interventions.
Towards building autism-friendly cities: neurodiversity and the right to the city
The quality of life for autistic individuals is closely linked not only to societal attitudes and the level of support provided by local and national authorities but also to the spatial and formal aspects of their surrounding environment. A key question is: How can urban planners, architects, and decision-makers facilitate the creation of autism-friendly cities?
How much research is there on environmental exposures and cognition?
It is known that environmental exposures can have negative effects on brain health. We reviewed all the literature examining the effects of environmental exposures on cognitive health. There is a paucity of research on the effects of urban planning, particularly regarding things like active travel and green space accessibility.
Assessing urban environments for improving mental well-being of the residents
Assessing the urban environment is crucial for enhancing mental well-being. It is imperative to identify relevant indicators and establish a comprehensive framework to measure the impact effectively. This approach is essential for initiating strategic interventions aimed at improving mental health outcomes.
Air pollution and neighbourhood status can influence how the built environment impacts depression
The by-products of urbanisation, such as air pollution and neighbourhood disadvantage, are often overlooked when studying the impact of urban environments on depression. Understanding how these influence neighbourhood-depression relationships can help inform targeted public health interventions and reduce health disparities.
How to assess the resilience of urban neighbourhoods in the context of health-related challenges?
Cities can build stronger, healthier, and more resilient communities by tailoring resilience strategies to the unique vulnerabilities and strengths of each neighbourhood. This approach ensures resilience is integrated into both emergency response and the long-term development of urban areas.
Urban well-being: How neighbourhood environments shape health and quality of life
Discover how local environments shape resident well-being. Our study reveals the profound impact of physical and social neighbourhood features on adults’ quality of life. Uncover the key elements that make a community thrive and their implications for urban planning and policy.
How active are public open space users in Asian countries?
Public open spaces (e.g., parks, sports fields) are important for people to be physically active. However, previous studies, mostly conducted in Western countries, show that people are predominantly sedentary in such spaces. We found that public open space users were more active in Asia, suggesting a potential contribution of such spaces to people’s health.
Enhancing happiness in urban public spaces: Key ingredients for happy urban public spaces?
When designing and managing public space, decision-makers and designers should:
• involve citizens in the process,
• consider all of the factors that contribute to citizen happiness,
• use evidence-based approaches to inform their decisions,
• monitor and evaluate the impact of public spaces on citizen happiness