The way a neighbourhood looks could influence how well people sleep, new research suggests, adding to growing evidence that urban design can affect public health.
Sleep is increasingly recognised as a key pillar of health, with poor sleep linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, obesity, depression and reduced productivity. As cities look for ways to improve residents' wellbeing, researchers are exploring whether features of the built environment can also help people get a better night's rest.
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A new study suggests that greener neighbourhoods and streets with greater visual enclosure – for example, where buildings or trees frame the street – are associated with longer sleep, while neighbourhoods with more pedestrian-friendly street layouts were associated with shorter sleep.
Researchers at Osaka Metropolitan University in Japan examined how neighbourhood appearance and perceptions of safety affect sleep among employed adults aged 40 to 59 living on the third floor or below in Tokyo.
The research team used AI to analyse more than 200,000 Google Street View images to identify visual neighbourhood characteristics. They then linked these characteristics to the self-reported sleep of 1,089 working adults living on the lower floors of apartments.
The researchers found that streets framed by buildings or trees were associated with fewer symptoms of insomnia and longer sleep duration. There was also some evidence that this relationship was partly explained by residents feeling their neighbourhoods were safer and more lively.
"Our results also reinforce a significant positive association between perceived safety and sleep duration," researchers wrote.
Greener neighbourhoods were linked to higher perceptions of safety and, in turn, longer sleep, while neighbourhoods with more pedestrian-friendly street layouts were associated with lower perceived safety and shorter sleep.
The authors say the findings broaden understanding of how urban environments influence sleep health and identify practical indicators that could inform future research and urban planning interventions aimed at creating healthier cities.
