Where to walk when we are old: experiments in Taiwan and the USA

February 4, 2026

Our study highlights the importance of green spaces in urban areas for enhancing the well-being of older adults. It reveals significant benefits of nature walks over urban street walks and underscores the need for gender-sensitive urban design.
• Green spaces improve mood and perceived restorativeness.
• Women benefit more from nature walks, especially in urban streets.
• People from different cultures may benefit from nearby nature slightly differently.

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How can we reconnect mental and urban health?

February 2, 2026

Our study found that community place-based initiatives involving the public and private sectors can provide public spaces, such as public parks and communal gardens, that are appropriate for reconnecting mental and urban health using the concept of co-benefit endorsed by the World Health Organization in 2011. We examined this concept in large projects in Seoul and Singapore to show the advantage of intersectoral collaboration for reconnecting mental and urban health initiatives by urban planning.

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Understanding community perspectives on livability metrics

February 2, 2026

Livability is a people-oriented concept, and accurately measuring it requires a contextual understanding of what local stakeholders deem essential for making communities livable. Despite extensive research on livability indicators, most studies have taken a top-down approach, with few considering the input of the communities.

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Implementing agoraphobia-responsive urban design

February 2, 2026

Discover how integrating agoraphobia-responsive elements into urban design and planning can transform public spaces into safer, more inclusive environments. This study reveals practical strategies that enhance psychological comfort and accessibility in city landscapes.

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Healing the city: a diagnostic approach to decoding stress in urban public spaces

January 29, 2026

This newly developed methodological approach aims to identify the underlying causes of stress in urban environments. To this end, it analyses a broad spectrum of perception-related factors from various fields to capture the full complexity of human perception in a more holistic manner. The evaluation of five case studies using the so-called ‘Stressor Matrices’ serves as the basis for deriving initial hypotheses about the triggers of urban stress.

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Benches for connection: Simple urban design to fight loneliness

January 29, 2026

My study shows that simple ‘Happy to Chat’ benches successfully encourage spontaneous conversations, leading to positive feelings and new social connections. I found these benches can:
• Create welcoming spaces for casual and meaningful interactions.
• Promote emotional well-being and social bonding.
• Act as a subtle ‘social nudge’ to encourage interaction.

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