Transformative Landscapes: Deinstitutionalizing Mental Healthcare Through the Urban Park

Abstract

People are a product of their environment; the psychological and physical well-being of individuals are continually shaped by life experiences, relationships, community culture, and environmental conditions. Historical paradigms around mental health continue to influence healthcare architecture, subsequently affecting patient services and healthcare models. Institutional facilities are designed to treat individuals in private settings, furthering an ocularcentric culture driven by stigmatization. These spatial and systemic qualities limit mental healthcare affordances, communal cohesion, and preventative measures to aid in mental resilience. We can redirect and transform psychological services into community-based amenities by weaving these systems into the urban fabric.

Deinstitutionalization, through applying concepts of visibilism, proxemics, and environmental inhabitation, will foster a sense of place while stimulating community interaction. An urban wellness park that employs an architectural language of inhabitation through the figure ground will bridge the treatment gap by advocating and devoting a new place in the city for mental well-being.