Finding Infinity’s Post

Urban design shapes more than just cities—it directly impacts our mental and physical well-being. Thoughtful, engaging urban spaces can reduce stress, enhance creativity, and promote social interaction. Conversely, uninspiring, monotonous environments can contribute to anxiety and feelings of isolation. This highlights the urgent need for human-centered design that prioritizes beauty, functionality, and emotional well-being in city planning. #UrbanDesign #HealthyCities #Wellbeing #CityPlanning #SustainableCities #HumanCenteredDesign #MentalHealthMatters #PublicSpaces #ArchitectureMatters #Placemaking

Empirical evidence is validating what intuition told us decades ago—the way we build places can nurture and enhance human health and connection or harm us. About a decade ago, the Urban Land Institute’s Building Healthy Places Initiative brought leaders together to share what they were learning and how it was changing their development practices. And Project for Public Spaces is teaching the people who make places how to make them better for the people who inhabit them. All of this learning can be applied now, and it’s never been more needed.

I've been saying this for years, many times "tongue-in-cheek," but now it has some empirical data and studies confirming it. An interesting read.

Agree with this insight… developers need to upgrade their game and start investing in engaging and well designed buildings that produce joy when we encounter them- This is why we still love walking through streets in Paris or London- the building where thought out and developed with artistry, creativity and highest regard for design. Now more and more - since we are constantly around technology- artistic knowledge will become more valuable and we will cherish spaces that bring us joy, allow for real community interaction and interiors that uplift our senses and spirit with artistic expression.

"the recent availability of sophisticated new brain-mapping and behavioral study techniques, [...] means it is getting much harder for the construction industry echo chamber to keep ignoring the responses of millions of people to the places it has created. [...] Once restricted to the lab, these neuroscientific and “neuroarchitectural” research methods have taken to the streets. Colin Ellard’s Urban Realities Laboratory at the University of Waterloo in Canada has led pioneering studies into the area. The EU-funded eMOTIONAL Cities project is now running in Lisbon, London, Copenhagen, and Michigan. Frank Suurenbroek and Gideon Spanjar of Sensing Streetscapes have carried out trials in Amsterdam, and the Human Architecture and Planning Institute has followed suit in New York and Washington, DC." 🙌 https://lnkd.in/e3REN2PZ

incorporating neuroscience into architecture is always good

The absence of neuroscience within design guidelines has created harmful spaces difficult to undo… We have always known that beauty is healing and yet boring design has prevailed. This is highlighted most unfortunately in our psychiatric care landscape, the most vulnerable in our society are placed in the spaces harshest to our brains. My 3rd year dissertation explores how pragmatic design guidelines for psychiatric wards has deeply impacted care across the country- read it here: https://lnkd.in/eCTJzBmZ

Heatherwick studio brilliantly highlights a shift that we, as designers and architects, should fully embrace. Integrating neuroscientific findings into the design process isn’t just a step forward—it’s a necessity. By considering how spaces influence our minds, we can create environments that don’t just meet technical requirements but also inspire joy, engagement, and well-being. I completely agree: the future of design lies in blending function with human emotion. It’s an exciting challenge that will redefine how we shape our cities and improve the quality of life for everyone.

It's Official: Boring Cities Are Bad for Your Health. Oppressive, unstimulating urban architecture isn’t just about eyesores; there’s evidence that it can cause actual harm to its residents. To fix this in 2025, we must start building for joy. Follow the link below to read a full op-ed on this important topic from our founder Thomas Heatherwick, published in the latest edition of WIRED It features a summary of the latest science, which can accurately measure and analyse our body’s response to our surroundings. https://lnkd.in/g3A6TTj5 According to Thomas: "Very soon, I believe, property developers may have to treat neuroscientific findings as key information to be weighed up alongside structural-load calculations, energy efficiency, lighting, and acoustics. And the person in the street will welcome this change. Not just because it will improve our health but simply because it will make our world much more joyful and engaging." Illustration: Thanawat Sakdawisarak

In a significant step forward for the UK’s aspirations to be a ‘science superpower’, specialist investor, developer and operator for the science and innovation sector Mission Street and BGO a leading global real estate investment manager, have received planning consent to deliver a world-class 23-acre urban science district in central Cambridge. Approved by Cambridge City Council’s planning committee (subject to Section 106 and Conditions), the district will be just 10 minutes’ cycle from the central railway station and will be developed on a site that has been unused for decades. Totalling 1,000,000 sq ft of GIA across 7 buildings, the scheme’s design has been led by master planners Hawkins\Brown in collaboration with other leading design practices. Artem Korolev, CEO, Mission Street, said: “Since our first consultation with local stakeholders and the Cherry Hinton community, we’ve said that this is about breaking down the barriers prevalent with traditional science parks, creating an open and inviting innovation district, and putting the science on show. “This project embodies the principle that it is entirely possible to blend R & D space for world-leading innovators with community amenities that everyone can enjoy. “We look forward to engaging further with planning officers, the community and other statutory consultees, as we deliver a globally significant science destination that current and future generations will be proud of.” According to market data tracked by Mission Street, there is demand for over 600,000 sq ft of lab space in Cambridge, with a highly constrained active pipeline that cannot adequately meet growing demand levels. Demand is particularly high for inner-city R & D space – a relatively new concept to the UK that is well-established in the US. Full article – https://lnkd.in/egSq52hE