The Science of City Beauty
Epistemic Disclosure: I have read a lot on different intersections between the aesthetics of our environment and health outcomes. I am still working on my perspective on this research— for now I feel convinced that how our neighborhoods look, and how they make us feel— is not the top of the pyramid of city needs but rather forms an important part of the foundation.
I have been thinking a lot about our right to live somewhere beautiful.
The evidence is piling up that health benefits are positively correlated with urban design that takes into account green and blue spaces, play, tree cover, and yes, aesthetics. Could a measure of aesthetics be a Neighborhood Vital?
Here are a few examples that I have been reading about:
1.Fractals, neighborhoods and our brain
What if there was some measure of city beauty that was not subjective? Would we build a universal standard of beauty into urban design requirements? The authors of a recent article, What Happens in Your Brain When You Walk Down the Street? found this in fractals. Their extensive overview “... dives into the complex minutiae of vision and fractals, and how they can place the observer in the “comfort zone”.
A fractal, or an infinitely repeating pattern, in aloe leaves.
The linked article is a long and scientific read, but the takeaway is that fractals, which can be found in both nature and urban design that reminds us of nature, can make us feel “at ease” therefore reducing stress. They can make our city surroundings seem more intuitive to us, encouraging us to walk and explore more.
The trees in the above image demonstrate fractals, as do the Indonesian temples in the below image. Figure and photo by R. P. Taylor.
Monotonous, modern buildings represent the opposite of fractal design.
I’ve always found this building in my neighborhood ugly, but now I realize my brain is wired to “gloss over” it.
2. Gun violence, trees and trash
Dr. Eugenia South wrote an incredible OpEd last fall on the correlation between gun violence and clean, green neighborhoods. Violent crimes in cities tend to be concentrated in a few known areas. Areas that are described by South as:
“Dilapidated homes with blown-out windows, blocks with no trees, barren, concrete schoolyards and vacant lots strewn with trash such as used condoms, needles, mattresses and tires often dominate the landscape.
Without changing these physical spaces in which crime occurs, violence prevention efforts are incomplete.”
Her team randomized lots across Philadelphia to receive trash clean-up, greening, both or no intervention and found up to 29% reductions in crime in areas that received both interventions 18-months into the study. In a separate study, her team proved that gunshot wounds were less likely to occur under tree canopy.
Crime reduction should be enough to start cleaning and greening neighborhoods – but reductions in crime can also improve mental health and other health outcomes (such as premature childbirth) in a neighborhood.
3. Mental health and the seven restorative cities
The authors of Restorative Cities: Urban Design for Mental Health and Wellbeing present a framework for seven key design pillars to improve mental health in cities. Cities can be green, blue, sensory, active, neighborly, playable and inclusive. My favorite insight was around sensory design:
“With sensory design, there are all sorts of interesting opportunities, like creating sonic refuges where you hear comforting sounds, or places where you’re smelling comforting smells—like children laughing or the smell of baked bread. Research tells us that certain of those sensory experiences are quite universal in their effects on people.”
A good take away from this work is that any city dweller can look for opportunities in their surroundings to improve mental health. Talk to the cheesemonger at your local market. Sit by a fountain.