Urban Planning and Mental Health

Expert

The European data is revealing. According to the European Environment Agency, mental health conditions account for more than 11 million healthy life years lost each year in the European Union. They constitute the sixth leading cause of disease burden and the eighth leading cause of death, with prevalence on the rise since the late 2000s (European Environment Agency (EEA), 2026; Lozano-Sánchez et al., 2024; Momen et al., 2025; Ten Have et al., 2023). This increase is taking place against a backdrop of growing urbanisation and raises direct questions about contemporary living conditions.

In this context, the role of the urban environment becomes central. The European Environment Agency’s briefing highlights links between certain environmental exposures and several mental health disorders, notably depression, anxiety and schizophrenia.

Prolonged exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) is associated with depression and depressive symptoms (Bhui et al., 2023; Cuijpers et al., 2023; Xie et al., 2023).

Spikes in pollution levels, meanwhile, are associated with a worsening of schizophrenia symptoms (Radua et al., 2024; Song et al., 2023; Xu et al., 2023), as well as a possible worsening of anxiety disorders and bipolar episodes (Chauhan et al., 2025; Tota et al., 2024).

These findings point to the idea of a cumulative impact of environmental exposures on mental well-being.

Environmental noise is another significant factor. A 10-decibel increase in road traffic noise is associated with an approximately 3 per cent rise in the risk of depression and a 2 per cent rise in the risk of anxiety, whilst aircraft noise is associated with a more marked increase in the risk of depression (Hegewald et al., 2020). These effects can be explained in particular by chronic stress activation, sleep disruption and inflammatory processes (EEA, 2026). Whilst these associations do not demonstrate direct causality, their consistency reinforces the hypothesis that the urban environment plays a contributory role, in the context of prolonged exposure and vulnerabilities that vary across different population groups.

 

At the same time, environmental psychology has highlighted the protective effects of certain environments. The theory of attention restoration (Kaplan, 1995) shows that exposure to natural environments restores cognitive abilities.

The stress reduction theory (Ulrich et al., 1991) emphasises the calming effects of contact with nature. Empirical studies confirm that walking in green spaces improves cognition and mood (Berman et al., 2008; Bratman et al., 2015).

However, urban mental health cannot be reduced to a simple dichotomy between environmental nuisances and nature. It also has a social dimension. Research by Holt-Lunstad shows that social isolation is a major risk factor, whilst social interactions promote protective mechanisms (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010). Pinker emphasises that areas with high life expectancy are characterised by frequent social interactions, supported by the urban layout (Pinker, 2014).

These findings are consistent with approaches in urban psychology, which highlight the role of psychosocial factors: a sense of security, a sense of belonging, the quality of interactions, and the legibility of spaces. Research on perceived density shows that sensory overload can cause stress and cognitive fatigue regardless of objective density (Stokols, 1972). This research encourages us to consider how residents experience the city, beyond its mere physical characteristics.

 

Thus, the city is not merely a physical environment, but a psychological one. Urban planning therefore emerges as a lever for mental health prevention. Designing the city involves reducing nuisances, developing restorative environments and fostering social interactions.

This shift in perspective opens up a new field of action, in which the urban fabric plays a direct role in residents’ psychological well-being and the quality of urban life.

Release date: June 2026