The Price of Place: How Do Our Neighborhoods Shape Our Mental Well-Being? A Systematic Review of Urban Socio-Economic Determinants

Authors

• Asphand Yar

  Scientific Societal & Behavioral Research Center (SSBRC), Canada

  asfand@ssbrc.com

  ORCID: 0009-0009-4941-1912

• DOI https://doi.org/10.63329/av3nz12320

Abstract

The global shift towards urban living presents a paradox: cities concentrate opportunity but also exhibit a higher prevalence of mental health disorders. This systematic review investigates the specific socio-economic factors within urban environments that influence mental well-being. Following the PRISMA framework, we analyzed 432 peer-reviewed studies (2000-2025) from Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, and PsycINFO. A triangulation strategy synthesized quantitative, qualitative, and mixed-methods evidence. The synthesis identifies three interconnected socio-economic determinants. Housing precarity that encompasses unaffordability and tenure insecurity, which emerges as a foundational stressor, directly linked to anxiety and depression. Neighborhood-level income inequality erodes social trust and fosters status anxiety, impacting mental health across the social gradient. Conversely, social cohesion functions as a powerful protective buffer, mitigating the effects of other stressors. Access to green space is a significant moderating factor. Mental well-being in cities is structurally determined. The findings necessitate a paradigm shift in public health, moving beyond clinical interventions to upstream policy. We recommend reframing housing as a mental health imperative, actively reducing spatial economic segregation, and investing in social infrastructure to build psychologically resilient urban communities.

Keywords: Urban mental health, social determinants, housing precarity, social cohesion, systematic review, public policy

Copyright & License
© 2025 The Author.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). This permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.