Urban Design, Mental Health and Maori

Abstract

This is a project that works towards a deeper understanding of the relationship dynamics between mental illness, urban design and Māori. The project contributes to a reconsideration of how we plan and design our built environments, and in particular public open spaces, for those experiencing mental distress, who are attempting to live in these environments. Through this it will help all people within our communities. The study is cross-disciplinary in nature and draws on interviews with health professionals, and Māori experts. How do Māori with mental health issues, or tāngata whaiora, experience public open spaces such as streets and squares, and knowing this, how can the built environment be improved for these people, and as a result, everyone visiting these public open spaces? A number of tāngata whaiora were interviewed for the study. The driver for this research has been my personal experiences of psychosis and managing previously schizophrenia and currently a bi polar condition in public spaces in Auckland City. These intense experiences have shaped a desire in me to understand myself as Māori and through this, to make the public realm more congruent with what it means to be Māori and, in doing so, to improve it for every person that experiences the ill health, and the public realm. I aim to explore how young people and, in particular, those with mental illness from a Māori background experience urban environments in order to understand how to create more holistic urban spaces that promote good health and constructive living for all. Overseas indigenous examples such as those from Taiwan, Canada, Australia and the United States of America are included in the study literature review. These international example gives some context to the experience of Māori in New Zealand and enables a wider perspective to be applied to the situation. Insights from European countries, such as Sweden, Holland and Germany on the nature of mental illness and the experience of urban environments and natural environment elements in a person’s formative years is looked into, this enables a further lense which gives a much clearer view of the study conclusions. Insights from Mexico and Israel also form an integral part of the study. It is clear this is not a well-researched area, and needs to be further examined to create a more elaborate knowledge framework through which to approach this convergence of topics. The key finding is that whilst elements of Te Aranga – the Māori Cultural Landscape Strategy and the New Zealand Urban Design Protocol address some of the issues, more could be done to ensure that the design of urban open space is sensitive to the experiences of Māori and those with mental illnesses.