Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission and vision
    • Need and opportunity
    • Our people
    • Friends and Partners
    • Join us
  • Learn
    • Facts and Figures
    • What is mental health?
    • How the city affects mental health
    • How mental health affects the city
    • How urban design can impact mental health
    • Mind the GAPS Framework
    • How to measure mental health
    • Courses
  • Cities
  • Journal
    • Edition 1
    • Edition 2
    • Edition 3
    • Edition 4
    • Edition 5
    • Edition 6
    • Submit to Journal
  • Events
    • Washington DC Dialogue
    • London Dialogue
    • Tokyo Dialogue
    • Hong Kong Dialogue
  • News
  • PRESS
  • Contact
  • Home
  • About
    • Mission and vision
    • Need and opportunity
    • Our people
    • Friends and Partners
    • Join us
  • Learn
    • Facts and Figures
    • What is mental health?
    • How the city affects mental health
    • How mental health affects the city
    • How urban design can impact mental health
    • Mind the GAPS Framework
    • How to measure mental health
    • Courses
  • Cities
  • Journal
    • Edition 1
    • Edition 2
    • Edition 3
    • Edition 4
    • Edition 5
    • Edition 6
    • Submit to Journal
  • Events
    • Washington DC Dialogue
    • London Dialogue
    • Tokyo Dialogue
    • Hong Kong Dialogue
  • News
  • PRESS
  • Contact

SANITY AND URBANITY BLOG

If you are an academic, urban designer, planner, health professional or citymaker, and would like to submit a blog, please see submission guidelines.

The latest from London: more people, taller buildings, and fun places

4/25/2018

10 Comments

 
Annalise V Johns, London-based urban designer brings us the latest discussions from some of the most interesting urban design discussions around London over the last few weeks.
Want to share what's being discussed in your city? Email us.
This week I had the pleasure of attending a London First Talk, where Dr Will Norman was the guest speaker. Dr Norman has the responsibility of occupying the first Walking and Cycling Commissioner position for the London Mayor. Dr Norman aptly reminded the audience of the challenge London faces to accommodate an additional 1.5 million more people by 2020.  This increase must be accommodated into the existing Greater London fabric. It is therefore very clear Greater London must prioritise its space for people, as opposed to vehicles, and focus on innovative ways to support liveability. This ambition is captured in the Mayor’s “Healthy Streets Approach” from the 2018 Transport Strategy, which seeks to “prioritise human health”. Dr Norman shared two anecdotal accounts, one of an elderly women, who lived across from a park where she was able to build social capital and maintain her health. Following an injury her mobility prevented her from crossing the road to her local park due to the volume of traffic which has now contributed to a decline in her overall wellbeing. I was wondering as he finished this account how many people had desisted from using the park due to the noise and intimidation from the increase in traffic and what impacts the increased noise had on the health of the local community as a whole.
 
New London Architecture (NLA) has just completed its fifth survey of tall buildings in the capital. The results showed a total of 510 buildings over 20 storeys, an increase from the 455 from the previous survey. The survey shows the majority of these buildings will be located in two boroughs containing a population of acute diversity and complex needs. Like all global cities, London at a neighbourhood level, is populated by everyone across the spectrum of poverty and affluence. Dr Norman’s call to arms to motivate Londoners to take up walking in the capital is indeed commendable and essential. However, the design detail found among the tall buildings across London, lack local relevance and each applicant lacks the expertise to viably “prioritise human health” in real terms.  For the majority of whom these towers are being filled, most are prominently absent or upwardly mobile. Recently, I attending a design review of a master plan for a high density mixed-used scheme, I was reminded yet again of the consistent apathy these schemes have for the actual liveability of mixed-use residential high density schemes next to a transport artery without access to green space. When I asked the Architect about the obvious volumes of disruptive noise set to impact the 700+ residents of this scheme, I was met with reassurance that those moving into the scheme would expect or be accustomed to such conditions. Or are they? According to The Economist’s recent article The burbs are back, “millennials were less likely to live in urban areas than young people were in 2000.” Course the narrow scope of the article does not permit a comparison of earnings of those aged 25-34 today versus those aged 25-34 in 2000. For this could be a contributing factor. However, there is a reaction from those who can’t afford to live in London but recognise the alarmingly inhumane conditions these new tall buildings bring with them.
 
Sarah Williams Goldhagen’s book Welcome to Your World details the latest cognitive neuroscience evidence that has revealed the majority of daily human cognitions are non-conscious. More importantly, this new field has demonstrated the impact details in our everyday environment have on our health, the majority of which we are not aware of. “When something happens in the world or in our minds, that “something” is always situated, in our bodies, in a given time, and in place.” (p45) Winlow and Hall in their book Rethinking Social Exclusion rightly point out the effect “non-places” have on “social excision” where “features are intended only to be looked at {…} rather than walked through and enjoyed.” (3). Goldhagen uses the example of studies surrounding a school to qualify the evidence that a “poorly designed school’s internal corridors-enervate us, so killing us with boredom that they exacerbate stress, sadness and even addiction. We want to escape, to flee to a more cognitively engaging and healthful place.” (2) Very recently depression has ranked as the most common disease affecting urban populations today. Is it not time we hold those profiting from the endless “non-place” accountable?
 
In conclusion, the second anecdotal account Dr Norman shared was one of being an observer of a group of school children. When the group was tasked with designing an alternative to public transportation for the future, it was unanimous that their vision be a city of fun places filled with space for opportunities of enjoyment. It is 30 years since the WHO began the Healthy Cities movement, clearly too few know about it.  I fear what this generation has begun has irrevocable ramification, I hope not, all generation deserve a sustainably healthy city in which to have fun.

References

  1. Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives, Goldhagen, S.W., Harper Collins, 2017. P.4
  2. The burbs are back, The Economist, Volume 427, Number 9088 (p.36)
  3. Rethinking Social Exclusion, The End of the Social?, Hall, S., and Winlow, S., Sage Publications Ltd, 2013, p.124

About the Author

Picture
Based in London as an Urban Designer for the past 15 years, Annalise V Johns specialises in designing multifaceted spaces that improve environmental resilience while maximising social determinants of health. Her experience with complex places means she is called on to provide solutions focused on sustainable transport, sustainable drainage and air quality improvements based on evidence and innovation. 
10 Comments
Joe link
2/11/2019 07:22:17 pm

very interesting <a href="http://www.jondalupcarpetcleaners.com.au">read</a>

Reply
john link
2/11/2019 07:30:51 pm

That is a crazy thought that there will be another 1.5 million people there by 2020

Reply
Danny link
2/11/2019 07:40:57 pm

I think it's great we give the young ones an opportunity to design what could well be part of their future

Reply
Nigol link
2/11/2019 07:44:17 pm

Welcome to Your World: How the Built Environment Shapes Our Lives, Goldhagen, S.W., Harper Collins, 2017. P.4

Building a sustainable future is vital and an issue that really shouldn't get overlooked

Reply
Pete link
2/11/2019 07:52:44 pm

Dr Noman sounds like a great lad

Reply
Joe link
2/11/2019 07:55:00 pm

London is leading the way with Dr Norman

Reply
painters bunbury link
8/26/2019 02:14:57 am

Love this article guys keep up the great work!

Reply
Geelong Concrete link
8/26/2019 02:19:49 am

Love Dr Normans work!

Reply
Mary Counts
8/22/2020 04:36:53 am

I can’t believe this. A great testimony that i must share to all HERPES SIMPLEX VIRUS patient in the world i never believed that their could be any complete cure for Herpes or any cure for herpes,i saw people’s testimony on blog sites of how Dr Wealthy prepare herbal medicine that cure and brought them back to life again. i had to try it too and you can,t believe that in just few weeks i started using it all my pains stop gradually and i had to leave without the pills the doctor gave to me. Right now i can tell you that few months now i have not had any pain,delay in treatment leads to death. Here is his email:(wealthylovespell@gmail.com) whatsapp him with +2348105150446 visit blog http://wealthyspellhome.over-blog.com

Reply
Darlene Treger
12/29/2020 01:17:40 am

HERBAL DR EMU WHO PREPARE HERBAL MEDICINE TO CURE ALL KINDS OF DISEASES INCLUDING HERPES DISEASE.   
 I have been battling this Herpes disease for almost 3 years now....I tried all possible means to get cure from my Herpes Disease but all to be in vain until i saw a post in a health forum about a herbal Dr Emu who prepare herbal medicine to cure all kind of diseases including Herpes Disease, at first i doubted if it was real but decided to give it a try...when i contact Dr Emu via his email (emutemple@gmail.com)  write him and reply me explain how the process work so after ordering for the medicine I got it within 3/4 working days through DHL Delivery and I took it according to the way Dr Emu instructed, I was so happy after 2 week I took the medicine there was very big change in my health when I was done with the process I go for test, I found out I am negative...Herpes patients should also get in touch with this herbalist Dr Emu to get rid of these Herpes Virus forever his whatsapp number +2347012841542. Website: https://emutemple.wordpress.com/ 

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Sanity and Urbanity: 
    a UD/MH blog

    Reading, seeing, thinking and doing urban design to improve mental health. 

    Submit a blog post

    If you are an academic, urban designer, planner, health professional or citymaker, and would like to submit a blog, please see submission guidelines.
    Submission Guidelines

    Archives

    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.