Subverting the Typical: Envisioning densifying urban spaces through an environmentally sensitive lens

<p><strong>Fifty six percent of the global population currently live within cities (Urban Development, 2023), within the next 25 years this amount of people will effectively double as population growth continues. As this process takes place New Zealand and its cities such as the capital Poneke (Wellington) will be forced to densify (Burkett, 2011). Within this setting of a high-density city individuals are put under increasing volumes of stress and external intensities, there are more instances of sensory overload, panic attacks and other mental disorders within these settings than low density rural areas (Šantrić-Milićević et al., 2017). This inflammation is particularly prominent for the 15-20% of the population that are highly sensitive people (HSP) and their attempts to function ‘normally’ on a daily basis. In fact “individuals with ASD are 4-times more likely to experience depression” (Hudson et al., 2019) than their neurotypical counterparts and there is a strong correlation between having ADHD and other mental illnesses such as anxiety (Ellis, 2021). This situation provides opportunities for landscape architecture to improve design of dense urban spaces, focusing on sensory needs, and instilling a reconnection with nature that is often lost within the city (Grigoletto et al., 2023). This thesis will focus on designing for the often-overlooked individuals with environmentally sensitive dispositions intending to create equity in the public realm through design within a New Zealand context.</strong></p>