The Creation of City-Centre Conversation Spaces to Facilitate Social Cohesion and Combat Mental Health Problems

Abstract

"The global increase in city dwellers is consistently matched with rising mental health issues. Although individuals live in closer physical spaces, there is a rising trend of them living alone and engaging in little to no inter-personal contact. Isolation is becoming a primary source of suffering by engendering mental health problems such as depression. Although there is no universal panacea, this article will present one possible remediation through the creation of 'conversation spaces'. These are spaces which allow people to convene outside of consumer or product/object narratives. This article will present an intervention aimed at facilitating conversation which occurred on the Rokin Street, a central artery of Amsterdam."