Designing buildings with employees' wellness in mind is nothing new, but what about entire cities?
The built environment has a huge impact on the health of citizens in a city, and policy and planning decisions related to air quality, noise control, access to green space and social contact are essential to residents’ physical and mental well-being, JLL reports.
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This can prove challenging being that collaboration between public health and urban planning professionals has been lacking to date, resulting in unhealthy cities and neighborhoods, which in turn puts additional pressure on the healthcare system as people require more care.
This is especially true in the case of the aging population.
Creating a healthy ecosystem focused on improving spatial strategies that connect neighborhoods with green spaces, include active transportation options such as walking and cycling and focus on offering residents better, safer housing options, can greatly improve the physical and mental condition of a city’s population, JLL reports.
Landlords and tenants can also do their part by offering workplaces focused on work-life balance and social interactions, as well as incorporating design elements like natural light.
Building healthy and sustainable offices became a trillion-dollar industry in 2016, but workplace experts remain skeptical about the actual effectiveness of these environments and claim that proving the benefits to employees is harder than it may seem. Even so, most agree that pursuing a healthy work environment is essential.
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