A Meta-Analysis of Neighbourhood Interventions on Subjective Wellbeing and Mental Health

Abstract Research in urban planning demonstrates that the built environment holds significant power to shape individuals’ subjective wellbeing and quality of life outcomes. In contrast, a substantial body of psychological research suggests that circumstantial and geographical environments play a relatively minor role in explaining variations in happiness. To reconcile these contrasting findings, we conducted a meta-analysis to provide a quantitative synthesis. This study adopts a sequential design. First, we systematically search for and evaluate quantitative evidence from 54 studies examining 29 policy interventions. Based on the included studies, we then identify relevant covariates, focusing on the type of interventions, associated neighbourhood environments, population subgroups, duration, and methodological design, for a meta-regression analysis. Estimates from our meta-regressions reveal that place-based neighbourhood interventions are more likely to produce short-term mental health and wellbeing impacts compared to people-based interventions, such as subsidised residential mobility programmes. However, the wellbeing effects are unequally distributed among population subgroups. Girls are more likely to experience beneficial effects, while boys are more likely to experience detrimental ones. Additionally, the results from our meta-regressions suggest that among various types of neighbourhood environments, the social environment is more likely to be associated with neighbourhood effects than the economic environment.