How can cities positively impact the mental health of their inhabitants?

Every October 10, World Mental Health Day is commemorated, which is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a state of well-being in which the person faces the usual stress of family and community life. . Considering that more than half of the world's population lives in urban areas, cities currently have a great impact on mental health.

The United Nations has projected that by 2050 the number of people in urban areas will increase to 70%. People are having to migrate to increasingly smaller spaces and public spaces in the city have become their place to socialize, their space to play sports or an extension of their living room.

Agustín Morales, Director of Planning and Sustainability at Portafolio Inmobiliario, assures that “healthy cities generate healthy citizens”. This is the premise on which the company's urban design and strategy has been based in recent years.

King's College of London carried out a study that, among other things, demonstrated the correlation between the increase in mental illness in urban areas with high concentrations of air pollution and high noise levels.

“It is important that urban developments, both public and private spaces, are not only efficient in terms of design, but also consider the possible impact on the quality of life of people and their environment. It is clear that mental health problems have many causes, however, the elements of our environments have an influence and real estate development can have a positive impact on urban health,” Morales said.

Green spaces act as a protective factor against possible mental disorders, especially anxiety and depression. Therefore, it is essential that real estate developments include more green areas and that the population appropriates these spaces to walk, exercise, walk their pets, and socialize with other people. Green spaces are not only key to combating heat waves, but they also help lower stress levels and activate the sense of connection with nature.

“In Portafolio Inmobiliario we implemented our 2020 – 2024 Sustainability Strategy, which translates into a positive impact on people's quality of life. This strategy takes into consideration not only environmental elements, but also focuses heavily on the individual and their environment (communities).

Our developments seek to catalyze the urban environment by providing spaces designed to be accessible to all, green spaces with good design quality so that everyone can enjoy them regardless of whether they work there, are visitors or residents,” Morales concluded.

Portafolio Inmobiliario prioritizes locations that have access to public transportation, integrate the design of pedestrian spaces where people want to walk and tour the projects, and incorporate art into open spaces. Likewise, it combines different uses, an example of this is Avenida Escazú, which is the first mixed-use project in Costa Rica and has the Carbon Neutral recognition of the Country Program.