INVESTIGATING THE EFFECT OF URBAN BUILT ENVIRONMENTON MENTAL HEALTH(DEPRESSION): CASE STUDY OF DAMIETTA CITY, EGYPT

Mental health disorders account for 7.4% of the burden of disease, and are now the leading cause of long-term disability worldwide. This paper explores the impact of the attributes of the built environment on mental health. It is difficult to measure mental health, so depression has been chosen to indicate it as the most common form of mental illness and its prevalence is projected to increase (CDC, 2013a) and it can be measured. Depression was assessed in across sectional survey of residents on (n=445) which has been divided into 4 study areas. Each 2 areas have the same socio-economic characteristics and different in urban built environment attributes depending on Hamilton rating scale for depression as instrument to evaluate the severity of depressive symptoms. The attributes of the built environment in those neighborhoods are investigated using geographic information systems. The results of this research may the anticipated specific guidelines for a healthy urban planning could be anticipated as it indicated to there is a relationship between the attributes of the urban built environment and the severity of the depressive symptoms also Emphasized the possibility of building psychologically healthy cities through urban design