Using the Built Environment to Enhance Social Contact and Resilience Among City Dwellers

Cities can be exciting, exhausting and surprisingly isolating places to live. City planning and design have a direct impact on lifestyle and the mental health (or its absence) of people who inhabit it. Despite its overall... [ view full abstract ]

Cities can be exciting, exhausting and surprisingly isolating places to live. City planning and design have a direct impact on lifestyle and the mental health (or its absence) of people who inhabit it. Despite its overall allure, city living has been linked with increased inattention, withdrawal, irritability and impulsivity. Neighborhood type, commuting time and amount of traffic in one’s area have all been linked to residents’ sense of social connection and levels of loneliness. While social connectedness and the perception of support by those around us is a major contributor to well-being and resilience, decreased social networks have been related to increases levels of psychosis, and higher stress among children. Social ties are especially important for older individuals and have been linked with lower levels of mortality, reduced suicide rates, less fear of crime, and better physical health. Yet, despite these findings, it has been estimated that 75% of the world’s population will be living in an alienating city environment by the year 2030. This literature review will highlight the ways in which city planners are attempting to create more nurturing environments that enhance the probability of social contact in an attempt to improve resiliency and well-being among its city dwellers.