Town Planning, Mental Health and Green Spaces
During the pandemic it became startlingly obvious, the space where we live, has a profound impact on our mental health. The lockdowns during the Covid-19 pandemic re-adjusted our priorities and brought our attention back to home. And for many the pandemic had deteriorated their physical and mental health.
The charity, Mind found that housing and mental health are linked and that 79% of people struggled with their mental health due to their living situation. The concept of integrating the green spaces within the urban environment to improve mental health has long been established however, in the last few years, it has been appreciated like never before.
A study from PNAS explains how children who grow up with low levels of green space have 55% higher risk of developing mental health issues. These findings have recommended to the UK Government’s Building Better Building Beautiful Commission that states; ‘Green spaces, waterways and wildlife habitats should be seen as integral to the urban fabric’, essential to our physical and mental well-being.
Planning Practice
The RTPI advises through the Mental Health and Town Planning, how planners could potentially work with the existing professionals to encourage mental health with key planning policies and practice.
There are 4 key principles developed by the Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health that are especially useful to Planners when considering the impact of green spaces with mental health:
Safe Places : Within a an urban environment, A sense of safety and security is essential for mental health. Appropriate security measures improve safe accessibility but does not limit opportunity and sense of choice.
Green Place : Accessible Green Spaces are essential within a neighbourhood. This attempts to implement exercise within a daily routines to improve mental health well-being. It is also fundamental for many environmental benefits within an urban environment.
Active Place : It is a well-known fact that regular activity can reduce the impact of mental health. Integrating exercise and social interaction can maintain physical and mental well-being.
Pro-Social places : Green outdoor spaces can promote a sense of community by allowing for interaction through active participation.
While the last few years have been completely terrifying, they have not been without hope. The thought we carry forward should be that we endured and have become stronger in order to combat mental health, together.
How did your community cope with Covid-19? If you have any positive case studies, we would love to hear from you!
