mental health

Coronavirus and Lime

This Is Your Brain on E-Scooters

A survey from scooter operator Spin indicates that e-scooter users experience a boost in relaxation and positive feelings after a ride.

December 22, 2021 - Streetsblog USA

Affordable Housing

How Affordable Housers Perpetuate Past Harms, and How They Can Do Better

Some elements of affordable housing—from the development process to the way buildings are managed—are rooted in racist assumptions that dehumanize residents. Here are some simple ways you can be a better housing provider.

December 9, 2021 - Shelterforce Magazine

17th Street, Denver, Colorado

Improving Housing Through Trauma-Informed Design

A growing awareness of the link between the built environment and mental health has led some designers to examine the ways we can make housing feel more safe and welcoming for vulnerable populations.

October 27, 2021 - NextCity

Trees on Street

Research Shows Urban Trees Stave off Depression

A new study shows that regular exposure to trees and green spaces has a powerful impact on depression and mental health.

March 22, 2021 - The Guardian

Helicopter New York City

What About all the Helicopter Noise?

New York's busy airspace can be an inescapable nightmare for residents who experience noise pollution on a daily basis.

February 26, 2021 - StreetsBlog NYC

COVID-19

Staying Healthy During the Pandemic

Local parks and green spaces that enable safe social distancing have never been more important to people living in cities. The Trust for Public Land has released a new report showing their importance and the challenges they are facing.

August 4, 2020 - The Washington Post

Skid Row Los Angeles

Homelessness Fuels a Backlash in California

The Golden State's ongoing homelessness crisis has residents on edge and is testing the limits of empathy in a state known for its liberal values.

November 1, 2019 - The New York Times

San Francisco Homeless

San Francisco to Use Conservatorship for Some Mentally Ill Homeless People

Thanks to legislation by Sen. Scott Wiener passed last year, San Francisco will apply a new tool to force treatment on some homeless, mentally ill people who refuse it, but it's limited to five people annually. A new Wiener bill would expand it.

June 13, 2019 - The Washington Post

NYC Health and Hospitals

Where Care Meets Confinement

For doctors trying to provide mental health care to people who are incarcerated or detained by the New York City Department of Corrections, city jails pose a challenge — and provide an opportunity.

August 8, 2018 - Urban Omnibus

Cleveland 4th Street St. Patrick's

Can Density Prevent Diabetes?

In Australia, a new study will determine the best ways to make high-density developments healthy places to live.

May 7, 2018 - Diabetes.co.uk

London Underground

London Releases Tunnels Map for Claustrophobic Tube Riders

Transport for London has responded to customer requests for a new accessibility measure: a map to help riders avoid long tunnels.

July 20, 2017 - Metro Magazine

Chicago Lake Michigan Trees

Study: Greenery Improves Quality and Length of Life

Living near vegetation appears to be linked to a longer life and better mental health—for women, at least.

May 5, 2017 - CNN

West Side Chicago Votes to Tax Itself to Fund Mental Health Services

After the city's government cut funding to mental health services, closing many of the city's clinics, residents of Chicago's West Side voted overwhelmingly to tax their properties to reverse that trend.

December 9, 2016 - Chicago Tonight

Skid Row

L.A. Homelessness Plan Hitting Speed Bumps

City councilmembers express concern about progress of homelessness plan after receiving a first update report.

November 21, 2016 - Los Angeles Times

Cherry Blossom Washington, D.C.

Urban Sanity: Understanding Urban Mental Health Impacts and How to Create Saner, Happier Cities

Some experts claim that city living causes mental illness and unhappiness, but a new study indicates that urban environments provide many mental health benefits. Better planning can help make sane and happy cities.

September 6, 2016 - Todd Litman

Kid on Bus

Public Transit May Boost Mental Health

A new study based on an analysis of the residents of Turin, Italy, a city of over 900,000, reveals that walkable access to public transit and urban services benefits mental health, particularly for women and seniors.

December 4, 2015 - CityLab

Central Park - Manhattan, New York

Urban Green Spaces Will Make You Happier than Winning the Lottery

A new study published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology finds that moving to a more-green area can have a long-lasting positive effect on mental health, unlike the short-term jolt from pay rises, promotions or winning the lottery.

January 15, 2014 - BBC News

Urban Revival Increases Need for Places for Mental Renewal

Kaid Benfield argues that amid our focus on placemaking, density, transit, and walkability we need to find room to talk about how to create sanctuaries, or peaceful places, 'where one can get away and be quiet and still'.

August 29, 2013 - NRDC Switchboard

Public Gardens Provide Refuge for California's Alienated Communities

Patricia Leigh Brown looks at the community gardens funded by the California Mental Health Services Act of 2004, which help to heal disadvantaged refugee communities less inclined to use formal mental health treatments.

May 29, 2013 - The New York Times

Are Cities Driving Us Crazy?

Scientists are studying whether the stresses of living in urban environments increases the risks of developing mental health disorders. Global urbanization is making the question an urgent one, writes Alison Abbott.

October 12, 2012 - Nature

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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools

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