Making cities mental health friendly for adolescents and young adults

Abstract

Urban life shapes the mental health of city dwellers, and although cities provide access to health, education and economic gain, urban environments are often detrimental to mental health1,2. Increasing urbanization over the next three decades will be accompanied by a growing population of children and adolescents living in cities3. Shaping the aspects of urban life that influence youth mental health could have an enormous impact on adolescent well-being and adult trajectories4. We invited a multidisciplinary, global group of researchers, practitioners, advocates and young people to complete sequential surveys to identify and prioritize the characteristics of a mental health-friendly city for young people. Here we show a set of ranked characteristic statements, grouped by personal, interpersonal, community, organizational, policy and environmental domains of intervention. Life skills for personal development, valuing and accepting young people’s ideas and choices, providing safe public space for social connection, employment and job security, centring youth input in urban planning and design, and addressing adverse social determinants were priorities by domain. We report the adversities that COVID-19 generated and link relevant actions to these data. Our findings highlight the need for intersectoral, multilevel intervention and for inclusive, equitable, participatory design of cities that support youth mental health.

Adolescent outdoor life and well-being

“…Additionally, the recent COVID-19 pandemic has posed new challenges for adolescent well-being through the disruption of daily routines Lee, 2020;. Consequently, there is heightened interest in understanding the determinants of health and well-being during adolescence Blakemore, 2019;Collins et al, 2024).…”

“…The role of outdoor environments for the well-being of adolescents is not well understood, prioritised or exploited , particularly in relation to placemaking processes Li et al, 2018;Seims et al, 2022;Jaffe & Loebach, 2023). The potential of urban planning and design to contribute to adolescent well-being warrants more attention (Roe & Knöll, 2018;Collins et al, 2024) and the identification of potential pathways linking outdoor life and adolescent wellbeing can help support this work .…”

“…Acknowledging the interdisciplinary nature of the inquiry underscores the importance of effective collaboration across disciplines. Interdisciplinary thinking is common practice in both landscape architecture (Jansson et al, 2019) and environmental psychology (Uzzell & Räthzel, 2009), and vital for improving the capacity of landscape architecture to address human needs (Owens et al, 2023;Collins et al, 2024). Moreover, the fusion of different perspectives not only enriches understanding, but also enhances the capacity to apply and put knowledge into practice (Saegert & Winkel, 1990).…”

How Does Self-esteem Alleviate Death Anxiety in Youth Populations? The Mediating Role of Security

“…Youth is an essential time for individuals to explore self-knowledge and social acceptance. At this stage, the self-esteem level and sense of security of young people who are subject to multiple pressures from family, economy, education, and occupation may suffer impacts, the balance of physical and mental health is undermined, and death anxiety increases 27 . Therefore, this study proposes the following hypotheses(Fig.…”