Mental Health and the Built Environment

Abstract

Key Points - The built environment can promote or hinder mental health. - Place attachment refers to the psychological and social connections people feel with certain places—their homes, the settings in which they grew up, and others. - The conditions of modern life place great demands on—and often exhaust—our ability to pay attention. Green settings have the capacity to alleviate mental fatigue and help restore a person’s capacity to pay attention. - Crowded, noisy, and dangerous places have a variety of negative impacts on people and their psychological states, fostering, for example, stress, anxiety, depression, and violent behavior. - Some places draw people together and thus support the development of social ties and enhance the development of social capital. - Places that encourage physical activity can both prevent and treat depression.