When cognitive science, psychology & urban design converge.

The very same factors that retard our brain memory and attention functions – crowded streets & high urban density – also stimulate medici-interactions and innovation. The key is how to mitigate the damaging effects. Urban city life impairs our attention, memory and self-control. Increased cognitive load makes us to choose a chocolate cake over healthy fruit salads. (Really?)

How the City hurts your brain … and what you can do about it

By Jonah Lehrer  |  January 2, 2009

….Now scientists have begun to examine how the city affects the brain, and the results are chastening. Just being in an urban environment, they have found, impairs our basic mental processes. After spending a few minutes on a crowded city street, the brain is less able to hold things in memory, and suffers from reduced self-control. While it’s long been recognized that city life is exhausting — that’s why Picasso left Paris — this new research suggests that cities actually dull our thinking, sometimes dramatically so.

..This research is also leading some scientists to dabble in urban design, as they look for ways to make the metropolis less damaging to the brain. The good news is that even slight alterations, such as planting more trees in the inner city or creating urban parks with a greater variety of plants, can significantly reduce the negative side effects of city life. The mind needs nature, and even a little bit can be a big help

…Natural settings are full of objects that automatically capture our attention, yet without triggering a negative emotional response — unlike, say, a backfiring car. The mental machinery that directs attention can relax deeply, replenishing itself.

But the density of city life doesn’t just make it harder to focus: It also interferes with our self-control. … While the human brain possesses incredible computational powers, it’s surprisingly easy to short-circuit: all it takes is a hectic city street….The key, then, is to find ways to mitigate the psychological damage of the metropolis while still preserving its unique benefits.