London – Constructing Healthier Urbanisms (2017)

The design of our built environment can have a profound impact on inhabitants’ physical, physiological and psychological wellbeing, irrespective of – and possibly more detrimental with – particular age, gender, class or bodily ability.

This year’s London summerLab will critically explore the latest research on how the designed environment can affect our experience of a place. Conventional urban design approaches tend to emphasise design elements such as form, morphology, density, visual aesthetics and materials, with the primary aim of maximising the economic value generated by the spatial transformation of a place. Urban design and architecture are often informed by the subjective bias of designers themselves, and by the logics of marketisation of the design product.

Rarely are the health impacts of such considerations taken into account, yet urban transformation processes affecting the micro-climate, air quality, the provision of green and public spaces. All have a direct or indirect impact on wellbeing.

The summerLab asked participants to reflect on a variety of design approaches, provoking a debate on how rethinking urban place-making can put health and wellbeing of people firmly at the heart of redevelopment proposals. A sensory exploration of a place allowed participants to experience first-hand the impact of urban design on how they feel and experience the place. Learnings and findings were then put into practice as participants were asked to collectively work on proposals for a chosen town centre in south-east London.