Making cities mental health friendly for adolescents and young adults

Urban life shapes the mental health of city dwellers. Although cities provide access to health, education and economic gains, urban environments can be detrimental to mental health. With increasing urbanization, more children and adolescents will live in cities over the next three decades. Shaping aspects of urban life that influence youth mental health could substantially improve adolescent well-being and adult trajectories. A multidisciplinary, global group of researchers, practitioners, advocates and young people completed sequential surveys to identify and prioritize the characteristics of a mental health-friendly city for young people. We present ranked characteristic statements across personal, interpersonal, community, organizational, policy and environmental domains. Priorities by domain included life skills for personal development; valuing and accepting young people’s ideas and choices; safe public space for social connection; employment and job security; centring youth input in urban planning and design; and addressing adverse social determinants. We also report adversities generated by COVID-19 and link relevant actions. Findings underscore the need for intersectoral, multilevel interventions and inclusive, equitable, participatory city design to support youth mental health.

Pamela Y. Collins, Moitreyee Sinha, Tessa Concepcion, George Patton, Thaisa Way, Layla McCay, Augustina Mensa-Kwao, Helen Herrman, Evelyne de Leeuw, Nalini Anand, Lukoye Atwoli, Nicole Bardikoff, Chantelle Booysen, Inés Bustamante, Yajun Chen, Kelly Davis, Tarun Dua, Nathaniel Foote, Matthew Hughsam, Damian Juma, Shisir Khanal, Manasi Kumar, Bina Lefkowitz, Peter McDermott, Modhurima Moitra, Yvonne Ochieng, Olayinka Omigbodun, Emily Queen, Jürgen Unützer, José Miguel Uribe-Restrepo, Miranda Wolpert, Lian Zeitz