When designing for mental health, how far can architects go?

2016-09-19T13:23:00-04:00

“Genetics, early experiences, family relationships and social settings can’t be addressed through urban design,” McCay explains. “But urban design can and should play a role, just as it does for physical disorders, which have equally complex causes.” [...] But experts believe guidelines for healthy urban environments are currently failing to take this growing awareness into consideration. [...] “understanding of these issues is not yet mainstream” in the architectural community.

Layla McCay, director of the Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health, outlines the various ways urban design and mental health intersect:

Check out more videos from UDMH on their website.

For more news on urban psychology:

Measured Genius: One-to-One #29 with Pierluigi Serraino, author of 'The Creative Architect'
The high psychological cost we pay for boring buildings
Putting entire cities on the psychiatrist's couch
Designing and understanding the "Happy City"

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When designing for mental health, how far can architects go?