Headspace - The Psychology of City Living

More and more of us are living in cities. They can be stimulating, creative,
inspiring places. As Samuel Johnson said, ‘…when a man is tired of London,
he is tired of life.’ But cities are also stressful, and they can be alienating.
Rates of anxiety and depression are higher in our inner cities than they are in
the countryside.
Urban design has an important part to play in amplifying or minimising
these threats to our well-being. How our homes, streets, neighbourhoods and
public buildings look, and how they are arranged, matter. These are not just
aesthetic preoccupations, they are important for our mental health. Good
homes, neighbourhoods and public spaces improve our wellbeing by
buffering against the stressful demands of a working day.
Most of the time we don’t notice the effects of the environment on our
mood because we are too preoccupied with the normal trials of life. But the
built environment affects us nonetheless. As individuals and as city
communities, we need to think more about how we can shape the world we
live in.


Contents
Introduction
The psychology of the city
Part One
The Home, From Inside Out
Chapter 1
Refuge versus prospect
Chapter 2
Mystery and complexity
Chapter 3
Closure
Chapter 4
Nature in the home
Part Two
Home and Identity
Chapter 5
Status objects versus personal objects
Chapter 6
Space sharing
Chapter 7
The stamp of personality
Chapter 8
Tailor-made homes
Part Three
Neighbourhood
Chapter 9
Street life
Chapter 10
Protecting the territory
Chapter 11
The spirit of place
Part Four
High-rise Living
Chapter 12
Vertigo and other fears
Chapter 13
Making better high-rises
Part Five
Public Places: Places for Play
Chapter 14
Child’s play
Chapter 15
Adults are kids, too: green spaces
Chapter 16
Recreational buildings
Part Six
The Workplace
Chapter 17
Open-plan?
Chapter 18
Self-expression
Part Seven
Healing Spaces
Chapter 19
A healthy atmosphere
Chapter 20
End of life
Epilogue
The ideal city
Endnotes
Index