Approved Research

Pathways to better mental health and psychological satisfaction in urban environments.

Lay summary

Cities have over the past century grown to be some of the most popular areas globally. Now more than half of the global population resides in cities. This development is largely driven by cities' rich economic, cultural, social, and educational opportunities. These alluring features suggest urban living is a prosperous one. However, existing research suggests common mental disorders such as addiction, psychosis, and depression are more common in cities. These are a likely result of urban stressors such as stark inequality, stress, crime, long commutes, housing shortage, and overcrowding.

In this project, we aim to improve urban living by identifying which city factors pose the strongest threat to a prosperous and opportune city life. We will also explore which groups of people are particularly vulnerable to adverse mental well-being in urban environments. The diversity of factors and people present in urban environments necessitates an understanding of which factors are most influential in affecting what group of people to target. Results of our studies will be used to inform and improve public campaigns, policies, and other mental health interventions. The duration of the project is tied to the centre for Urban Mental Health at the University of Amsterdam, a project that is projected to run for another five years. The focus of the first years is to pinpoint what the most pressing psychological issues in cities are. Follow up research will seek to unravel the mechanisms underlying the issues, how to best intervene on this issue,  and thereby build a useful knowledge base relevant to improving urban well-being.