Ergonomics - the application of psychological and physiological principles to the design of products, processes, and systems, to increase productivity, safety, etc

Urbanization: Who's Afraid of the Big Bad City, link
social impact of urbanisation and city populations.

Ulrich (1984)

Records on recovery after cholecystectomy of patients in a suburban Pennsylvania hospital between 1972 and 1981 were examined to determine whether assignment to a room with a window view of a natural setting might have restorative influences. Twenty-three surgical patients assigned to rooms with windows looking out on a natural scene had shorter postoperative hospital stays, received fewer negative evaluative comments in nurses' notes,

A Configural Vital Sign (CVS) display developed based on studies of the cognitive work of ICU nurses

• Nurses and patients using the CVS display correctly identified the patient’s condition more frequently than the control condition.
• Nurses rated the CVS display as having a lower mental demand than the traditional display
  
  

Providing patient information in a CVS display that uses techniques of graphical display, colour coding and geometric shapes, improves speed and accuracy of data interpretation in the nurses who use it

After analysing among a Turin (Northwest Italy) urban population the association at area level of different urban structure characteristics (density, accessibility by public transport, accessibility to services, green and public spaces) and consumption of antidepressants.

The study suggests that Built Environment has a stronger effect on Mental Health for people who spend more time in the neighborhood. Therefore, this research suggests that good accessibility to public transport, as well as a dense urban structure (versus sprawl), could contribute to reduced risk of depression, especially for women and elderly, by increasing opportunities to move around and have an active social life.

Mental health of psychiatric patients has been linked to design elements that affect their ability to regulate social interaction (e.g., furniture configuration, privacy). Alzheimer's patients adjust better to small-scale, homier facilities that also have lower levels of stimulation. They are also better adjusted in buildings that accommodate physical wandering.

Perception and Cognitive Maps
How we perceive the world around us is eventually organized and stored in our minds in what is called “cognitive maps.” Cognitive maps are spatial networks that connect our experiences with our current perceptions, helping us to recognize and understand the world around us and allowing us to navigate it effectively.

James J Gibson "The Perception of the visual world" In the book he talks a