Urban Sanity – Essay writing challenge: Correlation of cities and mental health

Urban Sanity – Essay writing challenge: Correlation of cities and mental health

PREMISE
UN projections have estimated that urbanization overall the world would be adding 2.5 billion people to the urban population by the year 2050. The majority of the increase is estimated to happen in the Asian and African regions. Rapid urbanization eventually leads to the emergence of a mega city- a city that crosses the ten million mark- in recent years most of the cities have crossed this mark worldwide. With the rise of limited resources and high demands, cities are focused on technological and economical growth.

However, despite the cities being successful and prosperous, the mental health issues of the citizens are observing a constant rise. Apart from individual concerns, urban conditions and city characteristics are indirectly a playground for the mental and social well-being of the residents.

Thus, making mental health the topmost concern of today. This rise is indicating a dire need to address how we can make resilient, sustainable cities; that will work on reducing the major mental health issues like depression and anxiety, which are major contributors of mental illness around the world.

QUESTIONS TO BE ANSWERED

Building on the above premise, write an essay looking as to how looking at the current urbanization trend, and how we as architects and citizens ourselves can prioritize mental health, through conscious, realistic design measures.

The piece should investigate answers to the following questions; based on real-life experiences or interviews or reasoning built through research:

The societal transition from rural to urban creates an unhealthy social dynamic, how can this transition be made smooth?
How can urban strategies support building social relationships, lack of which is considered a major cause of mental health issues?
What architectural measures can help moderate the environmental stimulus created through increased sensory factors?
Do you think that the environment of built space affects your inner stimulus? If yes then how?
What measures do you think can help recreate the sense of belonging with the city, when people feel anonymous and segregated in a large population?
What according to you are the factors that act as ‘Triggers’ in our urban environment?
If you had a chance to inculcate one built change throughout the city infrastructure, what would it be? And why should it be done?
What three things do you feel are major causes of stress in cities? And why?
How does a happy city, a city without stress look like to you?