To begin with, the way a neighborhood designed has big impact on how healthy and happy its people are. Over the years, there have been a lot of studies carried out regarding the effects of neighborhood design on health and well-being. Meanwhile, major health challenges including premature death, poor physical and mental health and health Read the full article…

A city’s quality of life is directly reflected in how sensitive its urban design is to public health. And why? As it would eventually by all means have an impact on the general public during a crisis. Certainly, this claim is supported by a number of historical events. So, let’s start from its origins. (Kuvar, Read the full article…

Rewilding. Photograph by Luke Leung Greening urban design As cities around the world grow, it is curial to consider the impact these spaces have on nature and ecosystem. Furthermore, how greenery affect our health and wellbeing. Building greenery can be more inclusive, including among streetscape and urban neighbourhoods. People of all ages and the spaces Read the full article…

Play and freedom Many spaces planned for play offer truly little. This is because their designs are often limiting the spirit of play as a part of our human condition. According to Lefaivre (2007), the design of our urban spaces has replaced freedom in discovery by over-emphasizing anxieties about safety. As a result, many areas Read the full article…

Published 21 February 2022 by Quitterie d’Harcourt In connection to my previous blog on cars and their contribution to the obesity epidemic, I thought we could investigate the significance of urban food deserts which are prevalent in the USA but also present in numerous other countries around the world. When examining dietary trends in communities, Read the full article…

Published 20 February 2022 by Quitterie d’Harcourt During my time studying about the built environment, I was able to explore how the obesity epidemic, that has gripped many western countries, may be traced back to the widespread use of cars, and poor urban design. Obesity has risen to become the most serious public health issue Read the full article…

In our recent lecture with Mr.Tim Townshend, we had a very interesting discussion on health and well-being and their importance in urban design. To start with health, it deals with the physical and mental, and social well-being of people (WHO, 1948). On the other hand, well-being is mostly about the psychological and mental aspects of Read the full article…

I really enjoyed this experience of writing blogs for the university website. I think it is a really great initiative by Newcastle University where students are provided with an opportunity to explore various topics related to urban design. Students present their views and reflect on the opinions and the work of other people. It started Read the full article…

In this short article, let us discuss how sustainable movement is critically needed in the 21st century. First, we need to understand the importance of sustainable transportation. Human development carried from the past century has left us with huge concerns with environmental issues. Therefore, we need to look at cities and neighbourhoods as a tightly Read the full article…

A recent study has likened city air pollution to smoking a pack of cigarettes each day for 29 years. Whilst this is undoubtedly concerning, the effects of living in cities may not be limited to those which damage our lungs. Other recent studies have shown the prevalence of psychiatric disorders, mood disorders and anxiety disorders Read the full article…

  A Nation of Luddites: Active Travel as a UK Crises Solution   We are experiencing the aftermath of the modernist era. The complex, concrete networks we call roads comprise the cities we experience today. Cities were built around automobiles. The urban thread is therefore largely disconnected from human form, scale and need. The craze Read the full article…

The Cycle Boom During the national lockdowns, we saw a huge increase in people taking the initiative to stay physically healthy. Being either their daily walks or short bicycle rides around their neighbourhood. One thing I noticed during the lockdown was the demand for bicycles was extraordinary, and suppliers struggled to meet the UK demands Read the full article…