This research project seeks to explore the connections between the built environment and citizen well-being; factors being researched: intentional and unintentional public spaces being used for informal / formal meditation & mindfulness practices; the density and frequency of use of such spaces, in neighbourhoods and districts, and corresponding data on health outcomes (with a focus on mental health).

The research further seeks to inform the creation of a ‘conscious places / cities’ index, that can help shape a narrative around how the creation of intentional social meditation spaces, alongwith intentional communication to nudge behaviour to drive usage of these spaces, is positively correlated, and impacts the overall well-being of urban communities; it explores the need for fundamental changes in our built environment to provide social support and ‘normalisation’ of meditation in public spaces. 

This project advances a vision of healthier cities, by decoding the links between better mental health and conscious urban design. It aims to provide a general model, as well as specific prescriptive guidance, that can unify urban planners, policymakers, commercial real estate developers and investors, educators, healthcare leaders, and media, behind this important cause: a conscious city.