topos 122

no 122
2023
to po s.
work-life city

COVER
PHOTO: City of Gold Coast
Less work, but more time for family, friends
and leisure. These days, many people look for a
good balance between work and life. Or in
other words: a better quality of life all around.
In this topos we discuss how metropolitan
areas can support the work-life balance of
their residents – and why this is also a key
responsibility of the metropolis.
Mindfulness, meditation, social detox – finding
a balance in everyday life, between work, family,
friends, sports and smartphone, seems to have
become the most important asset for many – especially
younger – people. Several studies confirm
that a supposedly "good" work-life balance
is now actually particularly important for many
people – for example, more important than their
salary. The new target of self-optimization, malicious
tongues might think.
Less work, but more time for family, friends and
leisure. Or in other words: a better quality of life
all around. Most people probably wouldn't say
'no' to that. If that's possible. Because ultimately,
it is a luxury, the balance between life and work.
Who can afford to work a four-day week, but
only get paid for four days? Very few. Work-life
balance is reserved for an elite group. To which I
must count myself. And you, presumably, too.
Even if only about ten to 20 percent of the
world's population can afford to work actively
on their work-life balance, it is already visible everywhere
in our cities. You tell me: Have there
ever been more yoga studios? Life coaches? Feel
good managers? I would say 'no.'
Nonetheless, cities or urban structures can also
help support the daily balance of all city dwellers,
support their quality of life. Regardless of their
income or wealth. This is precisely what must be
the goal of public welfare-oriented urban planning.
And it is also necessary: According to a
Swedish study of 4.4 million people, residents of
densely populated areas – in contrast to people in
rural areas – have a 68 to 77 percent higher risk of
developing a psychosomatic illness and a 12 to 20
percent higher risk of depression. The research
field of neurourban studies is still quite young
and small, but we already know: cities make people
sick. Physically and mentally.
So how can metropolitan areas support the
work-life balance of their residents (and by that I
mean everyone)? We discuss no less than that in
this topos issue. Based on our research, we have
defined seven topics that are crucial for a better
quality of life in a city: one's income (dollar bill
y'all), the available recreational facilities (yes,
there are some things money can't buy), whether
a city is family-friendly (or rather what that actually
means), whether it offers social security (and
why everyone suffers from FOMO), how to get
around (bye bye traffic jams), how to live (hi
one-bedroom apartment) and finally what the
opportunities for work are now after the pandemic
(did you know that Australia is known to
be the best place for digital nomads?). Our objective
is to analyze what is important in our cities,
but above all what is possible.
Of course, when it comes to work-life balance,
each of us needs something different. Even if cities
have long since started the race for the highest
quality of life or work-life balance. With such a
personal topic, there can be no general easy solutions.
But to get an understanding of how diverse
these life realities can be, we introduce you to
three extraordinary people and their perspectives
on living and working in a city. Enjoy reading.
TOPOS E-PAPER: AVAIL-
ABLE FOR YOUR DESKTOP
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THERESA RAMISCH
Editor-in-Chief
t.ramisch@georg-media.de
topos 122 005

CONTENTS
OPINION
Page 9
THE BIG PICTURE
Page 10
CURATED PRODUCTS
Page 102
REFERENCE
Page 106
METROPOLIS EXPLAINED
Page 12
URBAN PIONEERS
Page 14
THE SOLUTION BUILDERS
Page 76
Photos: Mary Grace Long Photography, Rob Potter via Unsplash
AND THE WINNER IS… OSLO
The top work-life cities in the world
Page 22
INCOME AND HEALTH
The impact of income on life expectancy
Page 24
LOOKING FOR YOUR HAPPY PLACE?
The world's happiest countries
Page 28
URBAN GAMES
How Paris prepares for Olympia
Page 36
THE OPEN-HEARTED
A portrait of child counsellor Shanti Hetz
Page 38
BABY STEPS
Improving major aspects of children’s lives
Page 44
A CHILD-FRIENDLY CITY
What would it look like?
Page 46
THE PRIVILEGE OF MISSING OUT
FOMO has become a serious urban issue
Page 52
THE PAID ACTIVIST
A portrait of climate expert Andrea Zafra
Page 60
RACE AND PLACE
The California Healthy Places Index
Page 66
COMMUTING AND MENTAL HEALTH
It's the way we travel we should consider
Page 68
LONG LIVE THE BIKE
Cycling is not only hip and
good for the climate
Page 74
SAFER CITIES
What makes a city safe?
Page 82
DARING UTOPIA
What we need to do now – a commentary.
Page 84
SKY HIGH STANDARDS
San Francisco’s Harvey Milk Terminal 1
Page 88
WORKING FROM HOME
How it changed us forever
Page 90
NO HOME BUT THE BEST HOME
The best countries for a digital nomad life
Page 98
CONTRIBUTORS
Page 100
CITY GAME CHANGERS
Page 112
IMPRINT
Page 113
EDGE CITY
Page 114
THE BENEFITS OF SPORTS AND
OUTDOOR SPACES IN THE CITY
Page 30
topos 122 007

THE BIG PICTURE
Swim City
Forget the Hamptons, Bondi Beach, the Florida Keys, etc. Summer is best spent where? In Switzerland.
Strangely enough. Here, an urban trend has manifested itself in recent years: river swimming. While Berlin,
London and Paris were still struggling with the implementation of their river pools, people in Basel, Bern,
Geneva or, as pictured, the city of Zurich, were already jumping into the city river at all times of the day -
without paying any entrance fees, of course. According to the organizers of the exhibition "Swim City" at the
S AM Swiss Architecture Museum, river swimming is possible primarily because of Switzerland's pragmatic
legal approach to risk. The difference: In contrast to many other countries, swimming in moving water is
legally permitted in this country. At the same time, however, no one in Switzerland denies that swimming in
flowing water is risky. Information about the requirements and dangers is provided in many places. The
population is trusted to realistically assess risks and their own swimming abilities. Switzerland is thus living
a culture of democratized risk, creating new public space free of consumption – and pure quality of life.
TEXT: THERESA RAMISCH
010 topos 122

The Big
Picture
Photo: Lucía de Mosteyrín
topos 122 011

METROPOLIS EXPLAINED: STEVEN KRETZMANN
Capetown
The mountain, with its sheer cliffs rising
above the white sand and turquoise water of
Cape Town’s beaches, makes the city unique
in providing a 25,000 hectare national park in
its midst. Within minutes, you can travel from
a cosmopolitan city centre of art galleries,
bars, theatres, renowned restaurants, and
buzzing coffee shops, to step onto a trail leading
into a wilderness housing the most diverse
floral kingdom on the planet outside of the
tropics. Being only about 350 years old, Cape
Town lacks the grand architecture of European
and Asian cities, but it is where the graceful
Cape Dutch architecture was born, and the
city retains many of its Georgian and Victorian
buildings, particularly along Long Street,
its nightlife strip. Contemporary architectural
styles are also evident, particularly at private
homes along the Atlantic seaboard, which is
some of the most expensive real estate on the
continent. It is a cosmopolitan city with a cutting
edge cultural scene as evidenced in the
Zeitz Museum of Contemporary African Art
designed by the acclaimed Thomas Heatherwick,
the Baxter Theatre with its international
touring shows, outdoor concerts by in the
famed Kirstenbosch Botanical Gardens, and
vibrant nightlife. It is also a city of extreme
contrasts and contestation. It has villas worth
more than 11 million Euros while hundreds
of thousands of residents live in corrugated
iron shacks with inadequate access to water
and sanitation: the injustices of the past continually
rub against the progress of the present.
The first thing the Dutch did when they
set up a refreshment station at Table Bay was
build a castle – still standing and in use by the
national defence force today – and violently
dispossess the native Khoi herders of their
traditional grazing lands. This was the genesis
of the colonisation of southern Africa later
perfected by the British. The Khoi, along with
the slaves imported from Africa, Madagascar,
Malaysia, and Indonesia, were pushed to the
margins of society. This marginalisation of
people of colour was further entrenched
under apartheid, which rebuilt the city along
racial lines. The apartheid spatial planning
That Cape Town is one of
the most beautiful cities
in the world is not contested.
With Table Mountain
as a backdrop and
encircled by the mountain’s
flanks, the city
bowl, in the middle of
which are the sprawling
public gardens originally
established by the Dutch
East India Company to
supply fresh produce to
their ships on the way to
the East Indies, looks out
across the harbour,
northwards toward the
rest of Africa.
STEVE KRETZMANN has worked as a journalist for 23
years, having founded the news agency West Cape
News in 2006, mentoring young adults to provide previously
overlooked stories of Cape Town and surrounds
to the South African, and international press.
The growth of free online news led to West Cape News
having to close offices in 2013, with Steve continuing
as a freelancer, covering social justice, the environment,
and, through his site The Critter, the arts. He is
also editor of monthly community newspaper Mother
City News. After growing up in Johannesburg, he first
moved to Cape Town in 1992, later studying at Rhodes
University in Makhanda.
still dogs the city even as global corporations
oversee a new colonisation: Amazon is controversially
building its new African headquarters
on the site of original colonial dispossession
along the Liesbeek River bank, a
development supported by city authorities
but mired in litigation brought by the descendent
of the Khoi who lived at the foot of the
mountain before the Dutch East India Company
– the original global corporation –
arrived. Economic segregation has replaced
racial segregation. The working class, who are
predominantly people of colour, still live far
from the opportunities of the city centre, in
crowded townships on the sandy wastelands
that form the isthmus between Table Mountain
and the rest of the continent. The city
bowl and wooded mountain slopes remain
reserved for the rich, who remain predominantly
white and increasingly international.
Thus for the privileged, Cape Town is an idyllic
city with all the convenience of fast internet
and world class infrastructure, with culture
and work opportunities on the doorstep
and untrammelled wilderness in the backyard.
But with an official unemployment rate
at 29,5 percent and an average annual household
income of about 3,000 Euros, this is not
the experience of the majority. It is thus not
surprising that a getkisi survey of 100 cities
with the best work-life balance for 2022
placed Cape Town last. Most residents have
to rise at dawn and spend an hour or more on
dysfunctional and unsafe public transport to
get to work or school, returning only after
dark, with visits to the beach or the mountain
confined to a handful of special days during
the year. Yet, Cape Town is the most functional
and financially healthy city in South Africa,
predicted to double in population to about
10 million within a generation. With a politically
stable administration, policy geared to
providing affordable housing close to work
opportunities and fixing the failing public
transport system, Cape Town is starting to
dismantle its divisive planning history and
hopefully becoming a city that can be
enjoyed by all who live in it.
012 topos 122

Metropolis
explained
Map: openstreetmap.org
topos 122 013

URBAN PIONEERS: MAGDALENA STEINHAUSER
Parkour Generations
Leaping down entire flights of stairs, climbing
walls, vaulting over balustrades – what seems
daunting or just plain dangerous to most of us
is exactly what those practicing parkour love
doing. This strictly non-competitive sport has
the aim of moving efficiently across any terrain
and surrounding using only your own body.
Those practicing the sport, which was originally
termed “Art du Deplacement”, seek to become
physically, mentally, and ethically strong. It is a
sport that does not simply train the body. “Traceurs”
aim to be able to rely on themselves, be
adaptable, protect the environment, be disciplined,
value friendships and community, and
be of service to others.
“Public spaces are there to be used, embraced,
explored – both for kids and adults, and nothing
does that better than parkour.” That is the
motivation for Parkour Generations – one of
the pioneer organizations in the sport. The
internationally active professional parkour
organization with headquarters in London, UK
was founded in 2005. Over fifteen years later
they have received several awards for their work
and have established gyms in multiple cities
across the UK as well as the U.S., South Korea,
and Brazil. They have become the first and largest
parkour teaching and certification framework
in the world.
“Urban living has typically reduced most modern
people's movement throughout their day
and has certainly reduced the variety of movement,
and that's a huge problem and one that is
heavily responsible for the many common
health issues we see in our populations.” To
tackle this issue for people from all walks of life,
they create spaces where children, teens, adults,
people with disabilities, and the elderly can all
find their peers. They are convinced that “the
human body is the perfect adaptive movement
organism, literally evolved for practical movement
over almost any terrain. It wants to move,
and the more it does so the fitter, stronger and
healthier it will be, and the longer it will last.“
There could hardly be a more straightforward
way to engage with your urban environment, to
get to know the very materials utilized in building
a city, and to get to evolve alongside it. Parkour
is about learning to be as resilient as your
environment. It encourages a shift in how you
view your surroundings and to find playful
solutions to any obstacle.
Outsiders might be somewhat skeptical of a
sport that initially seems mainly to be encouraging
people to smash their bodies into concrete
walls. But in parkour, the “traceur’s” safety
is always at the forefront. Instead of trying to
ace the craziest tricks, the aim is self-mastery
and self-knowledge. It demands full focus and
forces you to concentrate entirely on yourself.
This teaches those practicing the sport to know
their limits, to respect them, and to playfully
work on expanding them.
Just like the sport itself, Parkour Generations
want to have a positive impact on urban communities.
Through multiple outreach programs
and initiatives for women and people of different
backgrounds and abilities, they “help people
reclaim their movement and learn to apply
their physicality within their urban environment
– not just taking the train to get to a gym
but using the city as your gym!” They run cleanup
events, offer training for the military and
police, and give presentations to international
governing bodies.
Seeking to create more urban spaces that
encourage a playful engagement with our surroundings,
they frequently collaborate with
landscape architects and urban planners.
We can probably all agree with them that the
urban world needs more spaces designed to
encourage, support, and integrate healthy
movement into our lives. What if we reimagined
the design of public spaces altogether by
shaping them in a way that encourages free
play and movement?
MAGDALENA STEINHAUSER studied English Literature
and Literary Translation in Norwich, UK and
trained as an editor before becoming part of Georg
Media in March 2022.
014 topos 122

Urban
Pioneers
Photo: Parkour Generations / Pawel Gawronski
"Our cities are here to stay, and urban populations will continue to grow; the
future lies in us adapting to these places to make them work for us rather
than against us – and that means reclaiming our spaces for movement."
topos 122 015

Work-life balance is the idea of balancing
the demands and responsibilities of an individual's
job with the time and energy required
for their personal and family life. It encompasses
the time, energy, and effort that a person
dedicates to their job and their personal
life, including relationships, hobbies, and other
interests. In practice, work-life balance
means finding the right balance between time
spent on work-related tasks and time spent on
personal pursuits. Being a personal and subjective
concept, however, different aspects of
work-life balance that work for one person
may not work for another. Factors that can impact
work-life balance include job demands,
hours of work, commuting time, and family
responsibilities. Achieving work-life balance
requires effort and often requires making
changes to one's work habits and schedule.
This can include finding ways to delegate or
outsource work, setting clear boundaries
between work and personal life, and finding
flexible work arrangements. A challenge, especially
in today's fast-paced, always-connected
work environment. Failing to find the right
balance may result in burnout, stress, and
decreased job satisfaction.
Burnout in particular is on the rise internationally.
The "State of the Global Workplace
Report", a survey conducted annually by the
market research institute Gallup, shows that 38
percent of respondents from over 100 countries
experienced stress at work in 2019. In 2020,
that number rose to 43 percent – in part
because of the Covid 19 pandemic. Another
survey conducted by the employment website
Indeed shows that at 52 percent, more than half
of the 1,500 U.S. workers surveyed across a
range of ages, experience levels and trades experienced
burnout in 2021.
A number of factors play a role in ensuring
a healthy work-life balance and thus preventing
burnout. There are work-based factors, such as
the number of vacation days an employee is
legally entitled to in a country. In Finland, for
example, employees are legally entitled to 25
vacation days. In the USA, the average is just
about 10 days. Even more interesting, however,
is the number of days actually taken by
employees. According to the "Work-Life Balance
Index" from access control solution provider
Kisi, employees in the Finnish capital
Helsinki took a full 30 of the 25 vacation days
to which they are legally entitled in 2022. The
higher figure is partly due to the fact that individual
contractual arrangements can also allow
for more vacation days than the legal minimum.
In Las Vegas, employees take an average
of only 8.4 out of 10 vacation days. The reason
for this is, among other things, the fear of being
seen as indolent by taking the full amount of
vacation. It becomes clear that, in addition to
the legislation, the work culture in a country
also plays a role when it comes to exhausting
the legal requirements and thus achieving a
balance between work and life. Other factors
relate to society and institutions. These include
the availability of high-quality medical care for
physical illnesses and low-threshold access to
mental health care services.
While ensuring a healthy work-life balance initially
seems to be a matter for the individual
and is mainly owed to the working circumstances
in a country, the city itself can also
contribute to ensuring that residents can sufficiently
recover from their efforts at work. One
obvious factor in this regard is the recreational
opportunities available in a city. High-quality
parks, for example, ensure that citizens can
pursue leisure activities that are close to
nature.
At the same time, recreational facilities in a
city should be quick and easy to reach, since
practical experience shows that the frequency of
visits decreases drastically with increasing travel
time. We must also not forget the effects of travel
times in general. The length of the daily commute
within the city has an undeniable influence
on the balance between work and private
life. People who have to spend less time on the
road have more options for leisure activities and
at the same time more time to pursue their private
lives. A keypoint to this is a well-functioning,
affordable public transport system with
high frequencies and good punctuality, as it
shortens commute times and thus allows for a
higher degree of leisure time.
But as you will read from page 68, it is not
only important that urban transportation systems
get as many people from A to B as quickly
and cheaply as possible, but also how pleasant
the transit is. Outdated and uncomfortable subways,
where people are crammed in like a cattle
truck, are unlikely to reduce stress levels among
travelers. Ultimately, the duration and quality
020 topos 122

work-life city
of commuting in a city not only has effects on
the health of the individual, but also consequences
for society.
Another keypoint to a good work-life balance,
however, is affordable housing. By offering
affordable housing near citizens' everyday stops,
especially of course the workplace, cities can
reduce the time and money spent commuting,
giving individuals not only more time but also
more resources to focus on their personal lives.
But how affordable housing is, is also an inseparable
consequence of income levels. Of course,
the more money you have, the cheaper housing
will seem to you. The differences here do not
only exist between national borders. Even within
the same country, socio-economic differences
can be drastic. Read more about this specific
topic from page 122.
One particularly effective method that cities
can use to kill several birds with one stone in
order to promote a good work-life balance
amongst other things is to promote bicycle traffic.
Not only does it relieve road congestion as
more residents bike to work, shopping, or to
visit acquaintances. It also has positive effects
on residents' health, encourages a healthier lifestyle
in general and reduces stress levels. An interesting
article on this topic and on which cities
are exemplary in promoting the health of
their residents through sports activities can be
found from page 30.
Offering good childcare can also help a city
offer a good work-life balance. By offering highquality,
affordable child care options, cities can
help working parents better balance the
demands of work and family while at the same
time reducing gender inequality. It is not only
from the children's point of view that it is beneficial
for a city to be child-friendly and to provide
an environment where children have
"everyday freedoms". Playgrounds, as found in
many cities today, tend to be "play ghettos" that
children often cannot get to without their parents'
help because of the dangers of intervening
traffic. The problem here is that urban planning
is centered around cars, housebuilding and the
economy – not the environment, health and
quality of life. Starting on page 46, you'll find
good examples of cities committed to being
child-friendly.
Whether it is Oslo, Bern, Copenhagen or
Sydney, a city with a good work-life balance is
always the result of a combination of many factors.
Cultural and social issues play a role, as do
legal and building requirements. The cities with
the best work-life balance in the world consistently
get a lot right in these areas. However, the
cities that occupy the top positions in any ranking
that you will find have one characteristic in
common that cannot quite be measured in figures:
they are particularly beautiful and all of
them are popular destinations among tourists.
In this issue of topos, you will not only find
interesting concepts and surprising facts about
work-life balance. We will also introduce you
to inspirational people and their approach to a
healthy balance of work and life. In any case,
after reading this issue you will see the worklife
balance in your city with different eyes.
Enjoy reading!
topos 122 021

Income
and
Health
JULIA TREICHEL
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work-life city
Poverty makes people sick. As striking as this statement sounds, it is just as real
for many people around the world. Although access to the best possible healthcare
is enshrined in the human rights of the United Nations, there is still a high
degree of inequality in healthcare internationally. And the differences are not just
along geopolitical lines. Conditions within a country also diverge widely due to
socioeconomic differences. What responsibility does the metropolis have in this?
People at risk of poverty have a significantly lower life expectancy. This
was announced by those responsible for the 24th Public Health Congress
at the Technical University of Berlin (Germany) in 2019. Studies by the
Robert Koch Institute, the federal government agency and research institute
responsible for disease control and prevention in Germany, support
this statement with clear figures. In this context, people are considered
poor if they have less than 60 percent of the median income at their disposal.
This is because poverty is not measured globally but is based on
the standard of living in the respective country. Someone who falls below
the poverty line in one country could still be considered rich in another.
Since the cost of living varies from country to country, regional analysis
has become established. For this purpose, the median income is determined.
It is measured from the middle of the total income of a country.
Poverty affects those who earn less than 60 percent of this.
The effects for those at risk of poverty are devastating. According to
the Robert Koch Institute, the average life expectancy for men at risk of
poverty is reduced by 8.6 years in contrast to those with higher incomes.
For women, the difference is still 4.4 years. It is a startling statistic that is
even more shocking because it shows a trend. According to researchers,
the gap has widened over the last 25 years. The medical conditions that
affect low-income people are diverse. For example, they are two to three
times more likely to develop diabetes or cancer. Likewise, the likelihood of
a heart attack or stroke increases. But it is not only the physically measurable
consequences that are significant.
A sad prime example
It is also precisely the effects that are not directly visible that burden
many people affected by poverty. An international team from the Massachusetts
Institute of Technology published a report on this in 2020. Data
from Japan, Switzerland and Brazil was taken into account. It shows
that people living in poverty are more likely to be affected by mental illness
than the average population. In their research, the scientists found a
one-and-a-half to three times greater incidence of anxiety disorders and
depression among low-income groups. They also reported higher rates
of schizophrenia and suicide in this wage group.
For a long time, Glasgow was sadly a prime example of this observation.
According to 2010 statistics, residents* had a 30 percent higher risk
of dying before the age of 65. Many of them at the hand of suicide or
drugs. The long unexplained phenomenon became known as the
Glasgow Effect. David Walsh of the Glasgow Centre for Population
Health and his team published a report in 2016 with hypotheses to
explain the mortality rate. The main point they highlighted was the high
level of poverty in the city. But they didn't stop there. They further noted
that urban developments since the 1950s had made Glasgow's population
more vulnerable to the effects of deindustrialization and poverty.
And, as a result, more sensitive to adverse health effects. This was because,
to deal with overcrowding, local authorities had decided in the
postwar period to house people in high-rise buildings on the outskirts of
the city center. Others were relocated to new towns in the surrounding
area. These radical measures rapidly changed the composition of the
population. Although people had more space within their new apartments,
the once familiar social fabric was thrown out of kilter. Formerly
familiar neighborhoods broke apart. The changed housing situation created
a spatial, but not a social density with the new neighbors. This anonymity
led to mistrust, insecurity and social stress. Furthermore, the residents
felt less responsible for their surroundings. The housing projects
visibly deteriorated and were largely demolished in 2016.
The impact of a socially cluttered environment
It is only a fragment of Glasgow's multifaceted urban history, but it
shows the influence of the built environment on mental health. Similarly,
in 1973, psychologist Andrew Baum conducted a much-cited study of
topos 122 025

Urban living is often associated with increases in mental health problems and
with challenges to physical health. On the other hand, cities offer great opportunities
to exercise, to socialise, and some even to enjoy nature. How do urban
sport and outdoor offers influence work-life balance? And which cities are exemplary
in boosting the mental and physical health of their residents? Can urban
planning have any effect at all on the health of citizens?
According to the Centre for Urban Design and
Mental Health, living in a city is associated
with increases in mental health problems: 39
percent more mood disorders, 21 percent more
anxiety disorders, a heightened risk of schizophrenia,
and an increase in the rate of cocaine
and heroin addiction are some of the challenges
of urban living.
At the same time, the World Health Organization
has declared a public health emergency
in cities because more than 90 percent of urban
residents live in areas where air pollution
exceeds the agency’s guidelines. Respiratory diseases,
an increase in obesity, and a decrease in
brain capacities are some of the consequences
of air pollution as per the WHO.
Thankfully, there are also some positive
aspects of living in cities regarding our physical
and mental health. The Centre for Urban Design
and Mental Health has found that city life
decreases suicide risk and Alzheimer’s disease
occurrence by almost half. Compared to rural
living, dementia and abuse of drugs tend to be
lower in cities as well, according to their research.
At the same time, cities that have abundant green
spaces, outdoor gym equipment, a varied topography,
and other wellbeing and sports factors, as
well as measures for cleaner air, are among the
most attractive to live in, as the Economist’s global
liveability index shows every year.
How can urban design help improve health?
Cities can significantly affect both the physical
and mental health of its residents either negatively
or positively. Therefore, the challenge lies
in designing cities that support healthy citizens.
This is not an easy task and there are confounding
factors, as the Centre for Urban Design and
Mental Health points out: In addition to urban
environmental factors that impact on mental
health, there are pre-existing risk factors, socioeconomic
factors, and a reporting bias. In addi-
032 topos 122

work-life city
tion, it is not easy to measure the effects that an
urban environment has on health. Sedentary lifestyles,
fast food, and a lack of movement are other
factors that impact our health both in cities
and everywhere else. Self-reported wellbeing and
happiness of urban residents show that there are
certain urban design features that can improve in
particular mental health. Leyden et al. are among
the researchers who have found that the following
aspects of urban design are key:
Access to nature
Access to natural outdoor settings in a neighbourhood
and in daily routines has been shown
to improve general mental wellbeing, to reduce
depression and stress, to improve social and cognitive
functioning, and to improve moods. This
is due to the promotion of exercise, but also due
to the possibility of building social networks in
nature, to the distance it creates away from
everyday demands, and to the biological interest
of humans to be in contact with other species.
The centre for Urban Design and Mental
Health lists some urban design action points to
better meet this requirement for health in cities.
These include the creation of walkable green
space, which according to the Centre’s researchers
has the most impact on mental health. Similarly,
the overall greenness of neighbourhoods
and access to consistent and regular exposure to
urban nature are very important. Urban planners
can integrate features such as street trees
and flowers, views of nature, gardens for lunch,
and walkable spaces into everyday lives. Importantly,
urban outdoor spaces need to be wellmanaged
to have a positive impact on mental
health, as recommended by the WHO. In addition,
other factors outside of urban design are
needed to support mental health, from accessible
therapy to social relationships and healthy
lifestyles. Example: According to the European
Environment Agency, trees cover about 30 percent
of land in 38 European capitals. This number
is much higher in Oslo, which has a share of
72 percent allocated to green space. Almost all
the city’s residents, 95 percent, live within 300
metres of a park or an open green space.
Space for sports
Active spaces are another important element of
cities that promote health, the Centre for Urban
Design and Mental Health has found out. The
experts state that positive, regular exercise
improves the mood, the wellbeing, mental health
outcomes, as well as the physical health of urban
residents. Regular exercise can be as effective as
antidepressants when it comes to treating mild to
moderate depression, according to the WHO.
Sport can also improve self-esteem, wellbeing,
anxiety, stress, ADHD symptoms, dementia
symptoms, and even schizophrenia. In addition,
exercise helps to counteract weight gain and
reduce the risk for diabetes and obesity. Other
benefits of urban spaces for exercise, according to
the Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health,
are the promotion of stress-resilience and the
opportunities for positive social interactions.
While the positive therapeutic effects of exercise
on depression and anxiety disorders are well
documented, evidence of a preventive effect is
difficult, as there are many factors that interact.
The question of cause and effect for that particular
relationship has not been settled.
Planning for exercise opportunities in cities
can include active modes of transport, such as
bike shares, protected bike lanes, safe walkability,
and convenient connections to different
parts of the city. Good public transport will
encourage walking between train or bus stops
and destinations, while well-designed stairs can
be more attractive than elevators or escalators.
Walking loops in parks, outdoor gyms, and
mixed land use with residential activities near
public facilities will also encourage walking and
exercise. Ideally, according to WHO Europe, cities
also provide accessible spaces for exercise
such as football pitches, tennis courts, or running
routes. Importantly, urban design alone
will not be enough to motivate people to move
more. Intrinsic motivation is key here, and this,
according to a sports psychologist from the
Sports University in Cologne, depends on
whether a sport is fun for the person doing it.
Example: Outdoor group sports are popular
in many big cities. They take place on the beach,
in a park, or in public spaces. Yoga and Zumba
classes, for example, can foster social relationships,
improve physical health, and counteract
mental health risks. Importantly, these classes
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What Would
the Ultimate
Child-Friendly
City Look Like?
LAURA LAKER
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work-life city
Photo: Fineas Anton via Unsplash
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The reality for many urban children is too much time spent indoors playing on
smartphones – but a few cities are fighting the tide with innovative ways to
keep kids healthy, sociable – and outdoors.
Imagine you are 10 years old. You live in a medium-sized city and want
to visit your best friend, a five-minute walk away, so you can go to the
park, another 10 minutes’ walk. The problem is, there’s a big, dangerous
road between you and your friend, and another between them and the
park. You ask your parents if you can walk, they say no, and they are too
busy to take you there themselves. Perhaps you SnapChat your friend
instead, perhaps you play a video game on the sofa. You’ve lost out on
exercise and time outside, interacting with your neighbourhood and, of
course, play time with your friend. This is the reality for many kids today
– but it doesn’t have to be this way. Tim Gill, the author of No Fear:
Growing Up in a Risk Averse Society, says a child-friendly city is one that
allows “everyday freedoms”, so a child can spread their wings as they
grow. “It’s not enough to just talk about playgrounds and nice, pretty
public spaces,” says Gill. That, he says, creates “play ghettoes – places they
have to be taken to by adults”. Society’s mistake, argues Gill, is that our
planning systems are geared around cars, housebuilding and the economy
– rather than the environment, health and quality of life. “You won’t
find any urban planners who disagree with that,” says Gill. “It’s because
our decision-makers are short-termist politicians who don’t need to look
beyond the next two or three years.” A recent report from Arup identifies
five challenges for urban children: traffic and pollution; high-rise living
and urban sprawl; crime, social fears and risk aversion; isolation and
intolerance; and inadequate and unequal access to the city. But in urban
neighbourhoods around the world, child-friendly design is gaining
momentum: from community-led projects, using paint and planters to
tackle dangerous routes to schools and playgrounds, to citywide policy
reimagining housing policies and neighbourhoods for children.
Tirana: trust the silent majority
“Don’t underestimate the power of children,” says Tirana’s young mayor,
Erion Veliaj. After a survey showed the city’s parents spend more on their
cars than their children, Veliaj has used this statistic as moral leverage to
refocus priorities. In a city short on funds, businesses have sponsored the
transformation of kindergartens and nurseries from run-down “prison
cells” into beautiful spaces, with 10 new ones on the way via public-private
partnerships. Repeated traffic closures on the huge Skanderbeg
Square for play convinced residents to accept it as a permanent car-free
space. Every three months the pedestrian zone expands by one more
street, until the city centre eventually goes completely car-free. PM10 pollutants
have already dropped by 15%. Change isn’t always easy in a city
where the car is a potent status symbol. The construction of a large playground
at Tirana’s artificial lake attracted protests, some of them violent.
“A vocal minority who are well-connected, with vested interests, will
make a lot of noise,” says Veliaj. “You have to trust that the silent majority
will turn up when it opens.” And they did. In his first year Veliaj took
40,000 sq m of land from illegal developments, making way for 31 new
playgrounds. Change isn’t always easy in a city where the car is a potent
status symbol. The construction of a large playground at Tirana’s artificial
lake attracted protests, some of them violent. “A vocal minority who are
well-connected, with vested interests, will make a lot of noise,” says Veliaj.
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work-life city
“You have to trust that the silent majority will turn up when it opens.” And
they did. In his first year Veliaj took 40,000 sq m of land from illegal developments,
making way for 31 new playgrounds. A city forest ring is populated
by kids’ “birthday trees”, which families plant at given locations.
“When other countries are talking about walls, we are building a wall of
trees, to oxygenate the city,” Veliaj says. About 60% of trees are provided by
citizens and businesses, which plant two per company car. A further city
ring for walking, cycling and public transport is on its way. Tirana also
boasts a “city council for kids”, where young representatives meet the mayor,
debate and take their findings back to school. The great thing about
kids, Veliaj says, is they have no hidden agenda – and they are the best
advocates to persuade their parents to recycle, walk and bike to school.
Rotterdam: wild spaces for kids
Voted the least attractive city to grow up in in 2006, Rotterdam has since
spent 15m (£13.2m) on improvements to public spaces, housing and safe
traffic routes in lower income neighbourhoods in an effort to build a
child-friendly city. An open space in a city park forest has been converted
into a nature playground – Natuurspeeltuin de Speeldernis – giving children
the opportunity for unstructured play. Kids can enjoy the biodiversity
of “wild” space, build dens, fires and rafts, and camp out. It now
draws 35,000 visitors a year. Some school playgrounds have been turned
into community squares – featuring high-quality playable spaces with
anything from community gardening to sporting facilities, allowing kids
to experience life within the wider community. Historically a city with
high levels of social housing, Rotterdam has embarked on an unashamed
programme of state-sponsored gentrification. The city’s Promising Places
scheme builds on earlier work in a bid to retain wealthier, highly educated
young families. Hundreds of new, detached family homes are being
built in districts around the city centre – with plenty of green space, play
areas and a target of two excellent-rated schools per district. Previously
rented properties are being sold off in promising areas, and families given
support for home improvements. A community Droomstraat (dream
streets) programme, allows residents to bid for and design street improvements,
swapping traffic and car parking for things such as vegetable
patches or public seating. The improvements seem to be working: the city
reports that people are now staying in Rotterdam with their families, and
developers are keen to build new homes.
Bogotá: mapping danger spots
The former mayor of Bogotá, Enrique Peñalosa, once said: “Children are
a kind of indicator species. If we can build a successful city for children,
we will have a successful city for everyone.” Work to make the city’s public
spaces more equitable started two decades ago with Peñalosa’s ambitious
bus rapid transit scheme, bike lanes, and the introduction of 1,200
parks and play spaces. In one of the city’s poorest districts, Ciudad Bolívar,
community members have been working with Urban 95, a Bernard van
Leer Foundation initiative to improve public space for people under
95cm tall. In a district with high crime rates and little green space, a community
walk-around identified danger spots and how residents would
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