Mental wellness Enviroments

Sammanfattning

Mental wellness environments a thesis on how a village-like district within a city context supports mental wellbeing. The awareness of mental health and wellbeing has lately increased, revealing rising levels of stress and anxiety. In addition, after the COVID‑19 pandemic people became more reliant on social media and remote work, which changed how we interact with local communities and exposed mental‑health needs that may not be supported by recent restrictive measures in city planning. According to recent WHO reports, more than one billion people worldwide live with mental disorders such as anxiety and depression, and about 71% remain undertreated. The built environment plays a vital role in addressing mental health. Living in a healthy environment, having access to natural places, and the presence of calm areas and social interaction within the neighborhood contribute to mental and physical wellbeing. Mental wellbeing is not only an individual condition; it is strongly influenced by the built environment. This raises the question: how can urban design interventions re-establish healing environments that support mental restoration? A healthy environment is any setting that allows restoration and regulation of our thoughts and emotions, resulting in more positive cognitive behavior and life satisfaction. This thesis investigates the district of Kirseberg in Malmö, focusing on Vattenverksvägen and three focus areas. Ongoing urban transformation, particularly in Södra Kirseberg/Östervärn, combined with the removal of an existing bus line, risks increasing car dependency, weakening the viability of local services, reducing everyday activity, and causing a gradual loss of social presence within the neighborhood. The project interprets Kirseberg as a leaf-like urban structure, with Vattenverksvägen acting as a central vein distributing movement and restorative spaces from active urban edges toward a calm interior landscape supporting mental wellbeing. It focuses on three strategies for the healing process: a green typology to establish a green spine connecting green infrastructure; an active typology for multimodal mobility; and a restorative-core typology for social places that support a sense of belonging and identity. In conclusion, mental health conditions are widespread and closely tied to the environments people are exposed to, which means restorative environments can help mitigate the effects of mental disorders. Regularly visited urban places can serve as refuges with healing qualities. A healthy environment is any setting that allows restoration and regulation of thoughts and emotions, leading to more positive cognitive behavior and greater life satisfaction.