How the Design of Our Cities Can Impact Loneliness

Loneliness is a growing problem with serious health risks associated with it. While it is typically seen as an individual issue, it has been increasingly recognized that loneliness is caused by feeling disconnected from society. So treatments should instead focus on creating social connections.

A recent research investigated how the design and planning of our cities can impact loneliness, and it revealed some interesting findings. The review screened over 7,000 published studies, including 57 directly examining the relationship between loneliness and the built environment.

The research covered various elements, including neighborhood design, housing conditions, public spaces, transport infrastructure, and natural spaces. It found that no single design attribute can protect everyone against loneliness, as it depends on individual responses to opportunities and barriers in the environment.

However, some critical aspects of the built environment can help people connect. These include housing design, transport systems, and the distribution and design of open and natural spaces.

For example, living in small apartments can increase loneliness because it reduces people’s ability to have others over. On the other hand, living in areas with good access to community centers, natural spaces, and high-quality public transport can provide opportunities for social interactions and reduce loneliness.

The review also found that individual outcomes depend not only on what the design of a space enables people to do but also on whether and how they take advantage of it.

The built environment can also present barriers to social interaction, particularly for those with lower incomes who may not afford to live in a neighborhood where they feel accepted. In addition, the interplay between economic inequalities and the built environment can deny some the right to live a life without loneliness.

The research reveals several aspects of the built environment that can enhance social interactions and minimize loneliness. But it is important to note that no single built environment is universally “good” or “bad” for loneliness – context matters, and different individuals will interpret built environments differently.

We can design and build our cities to enable us to meet our natural need for social connection. Still, we must also recognize the complexities of the link between the built environment and loneliness.

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