Incorporating Nature into Urban Planning for Better Mental Health

October 18th, 2019

By Nikki Harper

Staff Writer for Wake Up World

Mental health issues are a growing concern in today’s modern world. Around 450 million people suffer from mental illness of some kind, but only one in three of those people actively seek treatment [1]. We do know that interaction with nature provides benefits for mental health and being around nature has been shown to have a positive effect on those suffering form anxiety, depression and stress [2]. Formal ecotherapy programs are on the rise [3] – but in our increasingly urbanised world, how can we help people find the benefits of nature on their own doorsteps?

This is a question that researchers at the University of Washington and Stanford University recently sought to answer, and their findings have been published in the journal Science Advances.

Researchers have set out a framework to assist city planners and developers in measuring and assessing the mental health benefits of nature, and to incorporate these into city planning policies [4].

Many governments already do attempt to involve and conserve nature within cities, but typically for physical health or environmental benefits, such as using trees to absorb pollution or to lessen noise. It is hoped that the new research will help planners take mental health into consideration too, leading eventually to planning and design choices which could minimize or even head off in the first place the development of some mental health disorders for city dwellers.

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