Journal
Health in mind
Wolfy Jones looks at how a well-designed environment can positively affect the mental health of those living there A growing area of interest for landscape architects should be the connections currently being explored between mental health and the man-made and natural environments that we live in. Much importance has recently been ascribed to this topic, which will surely come to affect the work of urban designers. In June, The Mental Health Foundation is due to release research findings on the links between mental health and the built and physical environment, and in May, MIND will also release research on the connection between mental health and green spaces. Other leading members of the medical profession have already been instrumental in beginning to examine facets of this large and fertile area for investigation. One recent study, co-authored by Dr Hilary Guite and Dr Charlotte Clark, looked at the impact of the physical and urban environment on mental wellbeing. They chose four housing areas that were situated across wards with high levels of deprivation in London’s Greenwich. “What our study shows”, says Guite, “is a very strong association with certain factors and really quite poor mental well-being. People who were depressed were quite discriminate in what they weren’t satisfied with”. Discuss this article
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