Brain research to make future cities better places to live

Urbanisation is on the rise in many parts of the world. By the year 2050, 70 percent of the world's population is expected to live in urban areas, according to projections by the WHO. At the same time, there have been warnings that mental health problems are on the rise with urbanisation. Not only does this potentially affect many people. It is also a major challenge for the global economy.

Urban environment extremely complex for the brain

The fact that urbanisation and health issues are linked in many ways comes as no surprise to Carina Carlman, Head of Research and Business Development at RISE. Carlman is leading the establishment of the new field of NeuroArchitecture and NeuroDesign (NA/ND) in Sweden.

– Our cities have great qualities in terms of what they offer and the opportunities they provide, but there is a lack of knowledge about how we are affected, both mentally and physically, by the massive exposure to impressions generated by the urban environment, she says.

Isabelle Sjövall, brain researcher and neurodesigner at top university UCL (University College London) and frequently hired real estate specialist: 

– An urban environment is an incredibly complex environment for the brain. Cumulatively, these can create a large cognitive load on the nervous system. It can be anything from traffic congestion, to noise, to traffic hazards, to different kinds of smells, she says.

Carina Carlman is of the opinion that the quality of life in cities can be significantly improved through neuroarchitecture and neurodesign. For example, by designing offices, schools, healthcare facilities, and city centers based on people's biological behavior, needs, and emotions.

– It could be that we feel better with certain materials, with certain color schemes, with certain light or with certain patterns. Or it could be a balancing of all the impressions with the implementation of specific elements that are effective for recovery.

General interventions of this kind, says Carlman, can be brought down to the individual level with precision health – a term for a new, individualized approach to health care – and environments designed to support a specific need or function, such as creativity or healing.

– Thanks to new knowledge in neuroarchitecture and neurodesign, we will eventually be able to work more specifically with both preventing and promoting healthy variables in urban development. Important tools here will be digital tools and AI.

–This will be an important piece of the puzzle in advancing public health on a global scale, regardless of the scale at which we start.

More research is needed

But to get there, more research is needed to scientifically determine exactly what affects us in the built and urban environment – and the total impact of all factors together.

Finally, Isabelle Sjövall points out that more research is needed on what makes us more resilient to stress in urban environments. It is not possible to completely protect people from things that can cause stress reactions. But it is possible to improve urban environments with so – called resilience factors. And anyone building, constructing or designing urban environments needs concrete data about what can counteract stress and what needs to be added to create a better balance.

For example, connecting with nature has been shown to be important for human brain health, so green and blue spaces are important in urban environments. 

– Access to water and biophilic design, or the re – creation of a sense of nature, is one way to bring our original environment into cities.

New technology creates new conditions

Now, as technology continues to advance, research has reached an exciting stage.

With the help of mobile devices that scan brain activity, it is now possible to measure the physical and psychological reactions of people in real time as they move through different urban environments. Scanners, biomarkers, and MRIs – a type of advanced magnetic resonance imaging – can provide comparable data. For example, how people react to different sounds, lights, materials, colors, or smells.

The data generated will be used to take the research to the next level. The goal is to use the knowledge in society – to make a difference on a large scale – rather than stop at individual research reports.

In May 2024, RISE launched a partnership with UCL to develop the field of neurodesign and neuroarchitecture, where UCL's world-leading laboratories like PEARL provide a fantastic testbed for large – scale, high-precision studies.

– If cities are built on the basis of the new research, society will be able to save large amounts of money, for example in the cost of health care. But the knowledge can also strengthen the business of individual companies and increase the value of buildings and real estate by means of neuroarchitecture and neurodesign, says Carina Carlman.

Partnerships are the key to getting research out into the real world.

– RISE's partnership with UCL is unprecedented. From a research perspective, we complement each other perfectly: UCL has the technology and lab environment, and we at RISE are good at translating research into practice, says Carina Carlman.

Collaborating with architects, engineers, interior designers, contractors, and urban planners will be important to help scale, implement, and evaluate solutions. 

– Our hope is that our insights will make it easier to make the right choices before an investment, says Carina Carlman. But we also hope the knowledge contributes to a sustainable transition, because people who feel good are better able to make climate – smart choices and contribute to a sustainable society.