Published on March 13, 2024
Excerpted from KOIN/Channel Six in Portland
Written by Michaela Bourgeois
Researchers at the University of Washington conducted an international survey that found cities need to focus on youth mental health as younger generations flock to urban areas.
Starting in April 2020, researchers worked with the nonprofit citiesRISE to survey over 500 people in 53 countries — finding a global shift towards city living among younger people and offering suggestions for making cities safer and more welcoming for younger generations.
According to their findings, published Feb. 21 in the journal Nature, young adults need to be involved in city planning to help boost their mental health and trajectories as adults.
“One of the most important points in the paper is we have to give young people a voice,” said Jürgen Unützer, chair of the University of Washington School of Medicine’s Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences.
Tessa Concepcion, a University of Washington graduate student, added: “Cities have a lot of opportunity to be extremely mental health-friendly, but they also have a lot of characteristics that we know is detrimental to mental health such as a lack of green and blue space – so, a lack of parks and a lack of access to water and greenery.”
Read more here.
Researchers at the University of Washington conducted an international survey that found cities need to focus on youth mental health as younger generations flock to urban areas.