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Journal of Urban Design and Mental Health; 2029:6;14
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PERSONAL VIEW
COVID-19 showed me that my local area was designed for cars, rather than people
Denean Rowe
Centre for London
Centre for London
As someone who has lived in London all my life with access to a car, I’d never really stopped to think about whether the place I call home was actually designed to make me want to spend more time there. And when I have struggled with my mental health, the first thing that I have often done is tried to get away from home, but of course during lockdown this wasn’t possible. Instead I realised how prioritising car space over people can in fact be detrimental to mental health.
The first time in recent memory that I have had serious issues with my mental health was in 2016 and the one place that I didn’t want to be was home, because it felt like a trap. I spent most of my time going from laptop to phone and back all day, checking messages and emails, looking for anything to support the intrusive thoughts that I had. When I did manage to leave home to go for a walk all I could see were reminders that other people were at work. Cars were gone, only a few people were out and about; it felt like I had been left behind and I was embarrassed.
I was given the opportunity to leave London for a short while and stay in a small town in the west of England – a setting that was completely different to my neighbourhood in south London. I stayed in a place where I was surrounded by nothing but hills with paths to walk along and benches to take a rest when needed. Everything that I could have needed (which wasn’t much) was at a safe distance. Yes, there were cars, but life on the whole felt slower. I didn’t need to go far to get anything. With the green spaces being so close by, it didn’t feel as though people were so dependent on their cars. Being able to explore new places that had been designed in a way that was easy to get around helped to ease my mind and just relax.
Life during the coronavirus pandemic could not have been more different. I am lucky that my workplace was and still is flexible about how and where I work, so the actual transition from full time working in the office, to working from home wasn’t as difficult as I expected. But it didn’t take long for it to take its toll on my mental health. As everywhere in London closed and many of my neighbours left once lockdown restrictions were put in place, I realised how much my local area was designed for the benefit of cars, rather than people. Every day, I would see people pack up and leave in cars. And the cars that were left behind rarely moved from the spaces they were parked in, because, of course, there was nowhere else for their owners to go. I felt annoyed during lockdown because although you could still park on every road, you couldn’t sit down or rest for even a moment. The cars had started to become a nuisance. With social distancing now firmly in place, it would take me double the time to walk around my block as I tried to keep a safe distance from other runners and people moving around and every time I got closer than 10 foot to someone, I chastised myself and so it became easier to stay at home. Many other people that I spoke to were able to go to local parks, but I couldn’t as my local park had closed. The only community playground was often full of people and has hardly any light in place, so once it got dark it didn’t feel welcoming and safe for walking.
As lockdown has eased, many people have noted that their lives have become a lot more localised, for the better, and there are worries that the more central parts of London will suffer for a long time. And as people are still concerned about using public transport, some people have started cycling and walking, but many other people have turned to using their cars. Whilst this has been beneficial for people who have longer commutes and might have been seeking opportunities to spend more time in their local areas, I am dreading it. I’ve realised that my local area lacks open spaces which have been designed to encourage social interaction, and without the opportunity to travel to other parts of London, I feel detached.
But I also have a renewed drive. There are so many things that my area has going for it. It is a diverse and vibrant community with many interests and there is potential for it to be a better place for us all. Designed for people before cars. If not now, then when?
The first time in recent memory that I have had serious issues with my mental health was in 2016 and the one place that I didn’t want to be was home, because it felt like a trap. I spent most of my time going from laptop to phone and back all day, checking messages and emails, looking for anything to support the intrusive thoughts that I had. When I did manage to leave home to go for a walk all I could see were reminders that other people were at work. Cars were gone, only a few people were out and about; it felt like I had been left behind and I was embarrassed.
I was given the opportunity to leave London for a short while and stay in a small town in the west of England – a setting that was completely different to my neighbourhood in south London. I stayed in a place where I was surrounded by nothing but hills with paths to walk along and benches to take a rest when needed. Everything that I could have needed (which wasn’t much) was at a safe distance. Yes, there were cars, but life on the whole felt slower. I didn’t need to go far to get anything. With the green spaces being so close by, it didn’t feel as though people were so dependent on their cars. Being able to explore new places that had been designed in a way that was easy to get around helped to ease my mind and just relax.
Life during the coronavirus pandemic could not have been more different. I am lucky that my workplace was and still is flexible about how and where I work, so the actual transition from full time working in the office, to working from home wasn’t as difficult as I expected. But it didn’t take long for it to take its toll on my mental health. As everywhere in London closed and many of my neighbours left once lockdown restrictions were put in place, I realised how much my local area was designed for the benefit of cars, rather than people. Every day, I would see people pack up and leave in cars. And the cars that were left behind rarely moved from the spaces they were parked in, because, of course, there was nowhere else for their owners to go. I felt annoyed during lockdown because although you could still park on every road, you couldn’t sit down or rest for even a moment. The cars had started to become a nuisance. With social distancing now firmly in place, it would take me double the time to walk around my block as I tried to keep a safe distance from other runners and people moving around and every time I got closer than 10 foot to someone, I chastised myself and so it became easier to stay at home. Many other people that I spoke to were able to go to local parks, but I couldn’t as my local park had closed. The only community playground was often full of people and has hardly any light in place, so once it got dark it didn’t feel welcoming and safe for walking.
As lockdown has eased, many people have noted that their lives have become a lot more localised, for the better, and there are worries that the more central parts of London will suffer for a long time. And as people are still concerned about using public transport, some people have started cycling and walking, but many other people have turned to using their cars. Whilst this has been beneficial for people who have longer commutes and might have been seeking opportunities to spend more time in their local areas, I am dreading it. I’ve realised that my local area lacks open spaces which have been designed to encourage social interaction, and without the opportunity to travel to other parts of London, I feel detached.
But I also have a renewed drive. There are so many things that my area has going for it. It is a diverse and vibrant community with many interests and there is potential for it to be a better place for us all. Designed for people before cars. If not now, then when?
About the Author
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Denean Rowe is Senior Development Officer at Centre for London. She joined the Centre as Development Officer in March 2017. After graduating with a degree in Law, Denean worked as a Researcher for the Executive Search team at Badenoch & Clark. She focused on identifying new opportunities for business growth in economic development, regeneration and education in London. Outside of work, Denean’s interests are mental health, urban design and of course, all things London.
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