Volume 11 of the Journal of Urban Design and Mental Health proposes to explore the emerging current of design practice and community initiatives that bring a tangible sense of hope and meaning back to people and the planet. Hope, in this context, is understood as a proactive force, a cognitive and emotional scaffolding that enables individuals and communities to envision a better future and take steps toward it, even in the face of uncertainty. We are particularly interested in the urban design of positive transformation: how spaces, policies, and patterns can foster a sense of possibility, agency, and collective engagement.

This call invites perspectives from the full spectrum of human knowledge - from neurourbanism to poetry, from positive psychology to GIS mapping, and from historical precedents to speculative futures. In this volume, we seek submissions that explore rigorous yet imaginative juxtapositions of the arts and sciences with the potential to yield measurable solutions and meaningful insights rooted in positive psychology and in Indigenous wisdom, feminist urbanism, environmental justice, and health economy.

Submit original research articles, theoretical essays, and review papers that explore a wide range of perspectives on the notion of hope and meaning in the urban environment.  We welcome submissions that thoughtfully analyse the interplay between empirical evidence, theoretical frameworks, and design implementation in creating and promoting mental well-being in urban settings. Contributions may explore historical theories that have shaped urban design practice, critique current evidence standards, or propose novel theoretical approaches to decision-making in the field.  For this volume, we also welcome submissions of art that illustrate the Volume 11 theme. The selected artwork will be featured on the cover. The objective of this call is to bring together scholarly works and practitioners’ perspectives that challenge conventional paradigms and ultimately advance both theoretical discourse and evidence-based practice for healthier urban environments.

Contributions may include any of the following:

• 1,000-2,000 words for case studies and opinion pieces  


• 4,000-6,000 words (excluding references) for research articles and reviews.


• Cover Art:  Square format, 8 inch x 8 inch or 2400px x 2400px, minimum 300 dpi resolution.

SUBMISSION

Submission deadline: 15 November 2026

Please submit as an MS Word document on our submission site: https://journals.lib.sfu.ca/index.php/urbandesignmentalhealth/about/submissions​

Volume 10 of the Journal of Urban Design and Mental Health examines uncertainties at the intersection of urban design and mental health, asking to what extent empirical evidence can inform design for mental health. It pushes the boundaries of evidence-based design, offering critical perspectives on the tension between research and development and presenting bold, reflective work that seeks to redefine or defend the role of evidence in shaping mentally healthy cities. Original research articles, theoretical essays, case studies, and dialogues explore the interplay between empirical evidence, conceptual frameworks, and design implementation, with contributions that engage theory-practice relationships, challenge conventional evidence hierarchies, and advance both theoretical discourse and evidence-based practice for healthier urban environments.

For this publication, we invited submissions exploring the intersections of urban design, urban planning, landscape design, architecture, and mental health, with a focus on historical insights, theoretical frameworks, innovative design strategies, and empirical research. Emphasizing the integration of historical knowledge, conceptual theoretical paradigms, avant-garde design methodologies, and rigorous empirical or evidence-based analysis, this volume will bring together a diverse collection of contributions, examining how historical perspectives on urban design can inform modern innovations that affect mental well-being. Through this journal, we aim to advance discourse in the field and highlight practical applications that bridge wisdom, creative and critical thinking to foster healthier environments.

Looking Back, Imagining Forward: Whither Urban Design and Mental Health?

Comprising separate but converging and diverging disciplines, the field at the intersection of urban design and mental health is a niche area with considerable potential within “Mode 3” research (after “Mode 1” and “Mode 2” as explicated by sociologistPekka Sulkunen (2008)), characterized by (co-)constructivist approaches and the rise of commu-nity-engaged research (CEnR), patient-oriented research (POR), participatory action research (PAR), and research partnership. Hessels and van Lente (2008) summarized trends in knowledge production as a move towards application, transdisciplinarity, heterogenous sites of knowledge production, greater reflexivity and social accountability, and a rethinking of traditional quality control.

These are hallmarks and aspirations of Fellows of Urban Design and Mental Health (UDMH) at the Centre as we transition into the next phase of knowledge production in this applied transdisciplinary field for community impact. At a recent series of meetings, UDMH Fellows expanded on our shared mission: “to drive interest, advocacy, and action” “to design better mental health into [our]environments” by holding “space for diverse and inter-disciplinary ways of knowing through scholarly exchange between urban design and mental health disciplines.” The act of holding space is underscored by the participatory nature of our work. [...]