Collins and colleagues studied urban areas where adolescents and young adults (under the age of 25) feel comfortable. They report that they “invited a multidisciplinary, global group of researchers, practitioners, advocates and young people to complete sequential surveys to identify and prioritize the characteristics of a mental health-friendly city for young people. Here we show a set of ranked characteristic statements, grouped by personal, interpersonal, community, organizational, policy and environmental domains of intervention. Life skills for personal development, valuing and accepting young people’s ideas and choices, providing safe public space for social connection, employment and job security, centring youth input in urban planning and design, and addressing adverse social determinants were priorities by domain.”
Pamela 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, and Lian Zeitz. 2024. “Making Cities Mental Health Friendly for Adolescents and Young People.” Nature, vol. 627, no. 802, pp. 137-148, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-07005-4