Built Environment and Mental Health in Aging Populations
Summary
The design and configuration of the built environment exert a profound influence on the mental health of older adults. As populations age, seniors spend more time in their immediate surroundings, making features such as green space, street connectivity, public transport access and housing typology vital determinants of mood, social engagement and overall well-being. A supportive environment can foster physical activity, facilitate neighbourly interactions and enhance a sense of safety, all of which mitigate depressive symptoms and anxiety. Conversely, areas lacking in accessible amenities, greenery or pedestrian infrastructure may exacerbate isolation and stress among the elderly. Understanding these interactions is essential for age-friendly planning, guiding interventions that promote healthy ageing and reduce mental health burdens on individuals and health-care systems worldwide.
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Built Environment and Mental Health in Aging Populations publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in built environment and mental health in aging populations across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Built environment: The human-made physical surroundings in which people live, work and recreate, including buildings, transport infrastructure and public spaces.
Walkability: The extent to which the built environment supports safe, convenient and comfortable walking, driven by factors such as sidewalk presence, street connectivity and land-use mix.
Land-use mix: The degree to which different functions (residential, commercial, recreational) coexist within a neighbourhood, promoting diversity of local destinations.
Social cohesion: The strength of relationships and sense of solidarity among community members, often fostered by shared spaces and neighbourhood interactions.
Mental health-related quality of life: A multidimensional concept reflecting emotional well-being, psychological functioning and the ability to perform daily activities free from distress.
References
- Built Environment and Elderly Population Health: A Comprehensive Literature Review. Clinical Practice and Epidemiology in Mental Health (2014).
- Neighborhood Attributes and Well-Being Among Older Adults in Urban Areas: A Mixed-Methods Systematic Review. Research on Aging (2021).
- Neighbourhood environment and depressive symptoms among the elderly in Hong Kong and Singapore. International Journal of Health Geographics (2020).
- Urban built environment configuration and psychological distress in older men: Results from the Caerphilly study. BMC Public Health (2013).
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