No city was created with the mental health of its residents in mind. For economic reasons, pragmatism has very often taken precedence over aesthetics. The docks of Liverpool (UK), the factories of Osaka (Japan), the low-density sprawl of Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), and the car obsession of the suburbs of New York (US) are among them. so many examples. In France, former industrial bastions such as Saint-Étienne (Loire) and Roubaix (North), or even Le Havre (Seine-Maritime) and its hasty post-war reconstruction, have earned this reputation.
More according to Wired magazinepragmatism could come back in boomerang effect. While human activity is concentrated more than ever in urban centers built around commerce, industries and cars, we are observing an alarming rise in cancers, diabetes and depression.
To verify possible causality, neuroscience has, literally, taken to the streets: here is “neuroarchitecture”. New techniques for behavioral studies and brain mapping now make it possible to measure our body’s reaction to urban planning.
Colin Ellard, director of the Urban Realities Laboratory at the University of Waterloo (Canada), is a pioneer in the field. In partnership with Humanise Campaign, since 2024 it has been carrying out an international study focusing on psychological responses to different building facades. A twin study is also taking place at the University of Cambridge (UK). There, we are investigating whether certain facades can trigger neuroinflammation. A possible first demonstration of the direct effect of a building on health.
Others did not wait for confirmation of the theory to move into practice. In Dax, in the Landes, a “village Alzheimer» came out of the ground. This large healthcare establishment has several houses, arranged according to the idea of walled towns called bastides, very common in the Middle Ages. The Danish firm NORD Architects relied on the latest scientific discoveries. Comforting and practical architecture makes life easier for people who have more difficulty finding their way with age.
Pioneers long ignored
All that’s missing is a move to the next level. The project eMOTIONAL Citiesfunded by the European Union, is developing sensory maps of Lisbon (Portugal), London (United Kingdom), Copenhagen (Denmark) and other cities in Michigan (United States). Still across the Atlantic, New York and Washington are scrutinized by the association Human Architecture and Planning Institute. While Sensing Streetcapesfrom the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, takes care of the Dutch capital.
So many encouraging signs that the world of building and architecture is introspecting. Not to mention generative artificial intelligence (AI), which has already changed work habits. If AI models ingest the discoveries of neuroarchitecture, the change promises to be impressive.
A turning point all the more spectacular since the inadequacy between humans and their habitat has been denounced, in vain, since the 1960s and 1970s. These are the works of the American author and activist Jane Jacobs, and the architect Danish Jan Gehl, who challenged the architectural consensus first.
According to them, the urban planning of our cities, with its often ugly architecture, its sterile sprawl and its aggressive expressways, borders on the inhumane. The problem is that while Jacobs and Gehl relied on specific case studies and real-world problems, they lacked hard evidence of the health effects of urban planning. Too little to overturn the status quo.
But half a century later, hard science is poised to confirm their findings. Soon, mental health may be worth as much as calculating structural loads, energy efficiency, lighting and acoustics when constructing a building.
Source: www.slate.fr
