Public spaces and wellbeing: a scoping review of empirical research

• Scoping review of 27 empirical studies linking public spaces and wellbeing • Informality and passive sociability were two recurring enabling qualities • Most studies explored outdoor environments but valued their social dimensions • Indoor environments and their enabling qualities are underexplored • Future research should focus on intricacies of indoor places where public life occurs Public spaces have been recognized as important sites for wellbeing, a significance heightened by the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the vast body of studies and theorizing across disciplines complicates efforts to cultivate a straightforward understanding of the enabling mechanism. This scoping review organizes and synthesizes findings from 27 international, multidisciplinary studies to highlight the analytical insights at the intersection of the public space and wellbeing debate. Adopting a site-specific approach, the paper explores why certain places draw in people and how they foster positive experiences. The multifarious typologies of public spaces became evident, though many of the reviewed studies reported essentially similar observations about two enabling properties: informality and passive sociability. These qualities were also valued in studies of outdoor greenspaces, emphasizing the fundamental role of public spaces in affording low-key social engagement amongst strangers. This study also calls for future investigation into the underexplored wellbeing capacity of indoor leisure spaces, where much of everyday public life unfolds.