Design strategies to influence health behaviour and mental wellbeing in the urban setting

Abstract

The design of objects, spaces and systems can have a profound influence on the behaviours as well as emotional and cognitive states of the people confronted with it. With regards to health behaviour, elaborating on Schwarzer's HAPA model (1992), the Design Model for Health Behaviour Change - DMHBC (Rehn, 2018) proposes the use of the built environment to act as situative barriers or opportunities to change health behaviours and overall health promoting mindsets. Regarding urban space and mental health, most environmental stimuli and related behavioural patterns focus on consumption (e.g. retail stores) or daily routines (e.g. commuting). Using objects such as specifically designed furniture, installations and other elements to act as perceived affordances and stimuli can affect both cognitive-emotional states as well as specific behavioural responses. For instance, based on the research on mindfulness, drawing people's attention towards their own bodily sensations (e.g. breath) by playful interactive installations or information signs can increase feelings of calm, appreciation and contentment. The same applies to design interventions that guide one's view towards otherwise overlooked urban features (e.g. natural scenery). While mindfulness and relaxation are powerful techniques for increasing mental health, many other approaches (such as physical activity, social interactions etc.) can be found to have similar benefits. In fact, the orchestrated combination of various forms of stimuli might prove to be more effective than the sum of the individual interventions as they create a subsequent chain of stimuli that form a coherent experience. This approach poses particular potentials to foster mental health in vulnerable groups that usually suffer most from urban environmental risk factors. Thus, providing public and open access stimuli and affordances in this way, can have a significant effect on overall urban public health and reduce social inequalities at the same time.

Toward a Future Orientation: A Supportive Mental Health Facility Environment

“…In this study, there was a major focus on the supportive effects of nature, and this focus is in accordance with Shin et al’s (2021) study that highlights how green spaces have been shown to improve mental health and suggests that healthcare site design should maximize access to green spaces. Furthermore, researches by Abbasian et al (2020) , Rehn et al (2022) , Connellan et al (2013) , and the Center for Healthcare architecture (2021) report therapeutic effects of nature on mental health, as discussed previously. The findings of this study indicate an awareness of the importance of the physical environment for treatment within mental healthcare and the creation of a space for therapy.…”

“…According to Shin et al (2021) , green places have been found to improve mental health, and findings similar to another study that showed that landscape architecture and gardens could reduce depression and increase mental health ( Abbasian et al, 2020 ). Likewise, Rehn et al (2022) —who conduct research on design strategies to influence health behavior—claim that mindfulness and relaxation are powerful techniques for increasing mental health by drawing people’s attention to design interventions that guide a person’s view toward, for example, natural scenery. Furthermore, 13 key themes were found in their review of the research literature on the effects of the architectural designs of mental health facilities on users.…”