Has the construction of cities ignored the health of its inhabitants? As an article in the American newspaper points out Wiredrelayed by Slate, the design of many urban centers has in fact not been designed with human well-being in mind.
We can cite the docks of Liverpool, the factories of Osaka, the automobile suburbs of New York, or, closer to home, the old industrial bastions of Saint-Étienne (Loire), Roubaix (North), Le Havre (Seine). -Maritime).
A very old hypothesis
As humanity has shifted its center of gravity to urban areas, there has been a worrying rise in diseases such as depression, cancer and diabetes. Do cities make people sick? This is the hypothesis put forward by two thinkers, the American writer and activist Jane Jacobs and the Danish architect Jan Gehl.
From the second half of the 20th century, they highlighted the inhumane way in which our cities were structured, and its influence on health. Although little listened to at the time due to the absence of concrete proof, their theses today find an echo in a new field of neuroscience: “neuroarchitecture”. Thanks to innovative techniques that combine behavioral studies and brain mapping, this discipline makes it possible to measure our brain’s response to urban planning.
The benefits of architecture
Colin Ellard, director of the Urban Realities Laboratory at the University of Waterloo (Canada), is a pioneer in this field. In 2024, he teamed up with the Humanize campaign to conduct an international study into the psychological reaction of individuals to different building facades. Another notable initiative, the eMOTIONAL Cities project, supported by the European Union, designs sensory maps of cities such as Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Copenhagen (Denmark) and many cities in Michigan (USA). ).
Initial findings from this research have informed the work of Danish firm NORD Architects. He designed an Alzheimer’s village in Dax, inspired by the latest advances in cognitive decline. This retirement home, on a large scale, imitates the layout of a fortified medieval bastide. The concept? Create a familiar and comforting environment for residents, whose orientation skills have deteriorated with age.
