Rapid urbanisation has intensified concerns about how city environments shape mental health, particularly stress vulnerability. While previous research has highlighted the roles of green space and built form, the influence of street networks remains under-explored. This lecture by Dr Gu presents findings from our cross-disciplinary study Stress and Streets, which integrates Space Syntax analysis of street configurations with fMRI evidence of stress-related brain activity. We examined 42 Berlin residents who underwent a standardised social stress task inside an MRI scanner, validated through cortisol levels, heart rate, and subjective ratings. Street network characteristics—including global and local integration, connectivity, and normalised angular choice—were computed within a 1,500-metre radius of participants’ homes.
Results show that higher neighbourhood-level integration, indicating more accessible and well-connected street layouts, was associated with lower activation in stress-responsive brain regions such as the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, insula, and thalamus, all part of the salience network involved in detecting threats. This suggests that living in more integrated street networks may buffer neural reactivity to acute stress. No associations were found at the point-address scale or for connectivity and angular choice. The study demonstrates how urban morphology can be quantified and linked to neural stress processing, providing a novel methodological bridge between urban design, neuroscience, and public health. Implications include rethinking street planning not only for mobility and sustainability but also as a pathway to support community resilience and mental well-being.
[Tickets for this event are free. Register to attend.]