Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

This thesis examines how the City of Malmö in Sweden approaches issues of well-being and health in the urban environment, through urban planning. More and more people across the world are moving from rural to urban areas. The advance of urbanization shows correlation with the increase in mental ill health worldwide and is believed to be due to increased environmental stress that occurs in urban settings. The theoretical framework “Mind the G.A.P.S.” aims to concretize and explain what dimensions of an urban environment has the potential to in-fluence people's perception, feelings, and use of the environment, to create the conditions for health and well-being among the population. The framework was used to study how the urban planning of the city of Malmö relates to these dimensions, and thus how the issues are approached from an urban planning perspective. The study showed that the city takes many initiatives, such as efforts to in-crease the coverage of greenery in the city, to promote physical activity by linking places for exercise throughout the city, to promote social interaction by creating places for collective urban agriculture and increasing safety and security through various light installations. The material is illustrated with a number of neighbor-hoods like places for activity in Limhamn, collaborative neighborhoods in Sege Park, safety measurements in Sofielund, and green space for relaxation in Lindängelunds recreation area. The material highlights obstacles due to several conflicting objectives, specifically national versus local objectives. The frame-work showed the importance of concretizing dimensions of health and well-being, but also lacked some dimensions of sensory qualities, which suggests the need of a review of the content of the framework.