CONNECT TO THE LIFE CYCLE

#3 CONNECT TO THE LIFE CYCLE :

In a world where your postcode can not only determine your age but also your income, where areas have been segregated according to lifestyle choices and stereotypes, it is not surprising that we, as people, have become “divorced from the barnyard realities of life” and are suffering as a consequence [Lindholm, 1985, p.26]. Consideration of how our mental health is affected by not only our connection with nature, but also with the life cycle is paramount. The acceptance and acknowledgement of the fact we are born, grow old, and die enables us to understand who we are, where we come from and where we are going and this cycle grounds us as humans. Unfortunately, in Western culture these cycles are generally hidden from us, and this loss of a connection with nature can lead to a sense of detachment from reality, a detachment from our true selves. Such estrangement not only stems from the institutionalisation of both birth and death, but also the division of neighbourhoods according to age. The old are concealed within nursing homes, families are pushed into the suburbs, and the young are left to colonise the trendy, bar filled streets. One could postulate that this lack of age-related integration contributes to the high rate of mental illness within our cities [Lindholm, 1985, p.26]. Therefore, this manifesto proposes that the microcosm of the ‘avant-garde psychiatric unit’ would be fully inter-generational.

The use of evidence-based design for mental health is arguably one of the strongest factors for ensuring the success of the ‘avant-garde’ city. Following the aftermath of the Great Recession in Europe, the number of “children staying longer or moving back to the parental home in response to the high unemployment rates associated with the recent economic downturn” [Avendano, et al., 2016] has increased, and according to studies, has had positive health benefits to the older generations. There has been an improvement in physical health, loneliness and social mobility which, by default, can moderate mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety. Equally, intergenerational interaction between the young and old can improve childrens’ “wellbeing, language skills, social interaction and empathy” [CMM, 2019].

Although current intergenerational practices are beginning to be introduced within architecture, such as ‘Wild Strawberries’, (an intergenerational centre located in Gland, Switzerland) in which housing is integrated with a kindergarten, in order to “take advantage of a mixed program and the presence of various generations to allow for the growth of a community, destined to be active, united and integrated to the urban context,” [Microcities, 2019] the evolution of such a mental health improving approach needs to evolve and be applied to the city as a whole.

The ‘avant-garde psychiatric unit’ will be a democratic representation and voice of children, young adults and senior citizens. It will challenge current age assumptions, and will be planned and designed in order to encourage beneficial opportunities for interactions between the young and old within all aspects of daily lifebe that in “areas of education, health, family and civic life” [Manchester et al,. 2016]. As such, the infrastructure would act as a platform for the creation of relationships and networks in which co-occupation and multi-use spaces could be imagined [See Figure 3]. So we as humans, can once again be connected to nature’s cycle in an attempt to rebalance our inner equilibrium and improve our mental health.