“Urban architecture affects the psychological well-being of city residents.”

The built environment in urban areas, including architecture and urban design, significantly influences mental health outcomes. Poorly designed urban spaces contribute to stress, anxiety, and mental disorders, while well-planned architecture promotes psychological well-being through access to green spaces and community areas. WHO recommends integrating mental health considerations into urban planning.

Environmental factors, such as living in areas with high levels of pollution, noise, crowding, or inadequate housing, can contribute to mental health problems. Urbanization has been associated with increased risk for mental disorders, partly due to social stressors like isolation and discrimination, and partly due to environmental stressors like pollution and noise. Access to green spaces and quality urban design can mitigate these risks and promote mental wellbeing.

Urban green space can improve residents' mental health by stabilizing emotions and releasing stress. Using the national representative longitudinal samples, this study found that urban green space exposure is associated with reduced symptoms of depression and anxiety among city residents.

This study is the first to empirically identify a mix of policy-specific architecture design requirements that are associated with positive mental health... It provides empirical evidence of a dose–response relationship between implementing a combination of n = 29 apartment policy design requirements and positive mental wellbeing... insufficient space, restrictive layouts, low levels of sunlight and natural ventilation, and inability to control environmental stressors (e.g., acoustic and visual privacy) can adversely impact residents' quality of life, influence mental health through increasing anxiety and stress.

This study seeks to evaluate the effect of three types of streets as major public spaces on stress. Living on the upper floors of buildings is associated with less physical activity, behavioral problems, respiratory diseases in children, neurosis, and social isolation. People living in areas with higher density are 67%-88% more likely to be diagnosed with mental disorders and 12%-20% more likely to develop depression.

There has been a recent interest in how architecture affects mental health and psychological well-being, motivated by the fact that we spend the majority of our waking time inside and interacting with built environments. Some studies have investigated the psychological responses to indoor design parameters; for instance, contours, and proposed that curved interiors, when compared to angular ones, were aesthetically preferred and induced higher positive emotions. The present results provide evidence against the hypothesis that curvature is preferred, suggesting that the psychological response to contours in a close-to-reality architectural setting could be more complex.

While certain architectural features show associations with improved mood and reduced anxiety in controlled studies, field studies in urban environments often fail to demonstrate consistent causal effects on psychological well-being due to confounding variables like socioeconomic status and noise pollution.

The meta-analysis results indicate that the proximity of urban blue spaces is significantly positively correlated with residents' self-reported general mental health (SMD = 0.33, p = 0.0001) and positive psychology (SMD = 0.15, p = 0.006). Residents living near urban blue spaces generally have better self-reported mental health, which is particularly significant among low-income groups and strengthens with longer residency. Urban blue spaces, as crucial components of the built environment, influence residents' mental health directly or indirectly.

The accessibility of health services, shopping, and bus stops directly affects older adults’ mental health. Perceived built environment displays a robust mediating effect between land use mix and mental health of older adults. Social interaction exhibits robust mediating effects between the age-friendly environment, the accessibility of bus stops, and the mental health of older adults.

The BE, as a crucial external factor influencing the health of residents, is intricately linked with the mental well-being of the older adults through its six core components: density, diversity, design, destination accessibility, street distance, and green spaces. In terms of density, a moderate level promotes social interactions and fortifies the social support network of the older adults, ultimately reducing feelings of loneliness. These studies suggested that higher building densities and intricate street networks may elevate the risk of MH issues among older adults.

Claims that urban architecture directly causes poor mental health lack strong causal evidence; correlations exist but are largely explained by non-environmental factors. Improving design helps but is not the primary driver.

All the studies included in this review reported an association between depression and at least one BE characteristic. We found disparities in the urban and rural BE exposures but similar effects of the adverse built environment on depressive symptoms in older adults, for instance, lack of green spaces, higher density of public transport, and deficient rural built infrastructure were all linked to poor mental health.

The built and natural environment related to elderly's mental health can be examined according to two categories: architecture and urban. In this article, we review the literature on the effects of built and natural environment on elderly mental health.

This study investigates the psychological impact of architectural beauty on urban well-being, focusing on the perceptions of residents in Katsina Metropolis, Nigeria. Findings suggest that aesthetically pleasing architectural designs contribute to reduced stress levels, improved mood, and enhanced satisfaction with urban living spaces. The study also confirms that architectural beauty can positively impact mood and reduce stress levels among urban residents, with elements such as natural lighting, spacious layouts, and aesthetically appealing designs positively influencing mood.

Urban design has a powerful influence on the quality of its citizens' life, especially mental health. High population density can lead to feelings of claustrophobia, stress, and social isolation. Overload of stimuli in modern cities can lead to mental fatigue and increased risk of mood and anxiety disorders.

In their broad review of the literature on architecture and mental health, Connellan et al. (2013) found common themes regarding the intersection of architecture, design, and positive mental health outcomes. One of the common themes and positive aspects to mental health care is the significance of human interactions. Architecture on its own does not support or generate positive mental health outcomes. Though it can help, it is often in combination with a supportive social environment as well.

Urban design can help promote good mental health, help prevent mental illness, and help support people with mental health problems. Feelings of security in daily life influenced by architectural design is an important contributor to mental health and wellbeing.

Multiple Cochrane Reviews and meta-analyses (e.g., 2023 update) find mixed evidence; while green spaces support well-being, overall urban architecture shows correlational but not always causal impacts on psychological health due to confounding variables like income and genetics.