The city as prescription: rethinking urban morphology as adjunctive cardiovascular therapy
Cities and Health, 2026 (ESCI, Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.1080/23748834.2026.2736372
- Dergi Adı: Cities and Health
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus
- Anahtar Kelimeler: accessibility, active commuting, cardiac rehabilitation, participatory design, social prescribing, Urban morphology
- Ankara Üniversitesi Adresli: Evet
Özet
While walkable cities are widely recognised for their population-level cardiovascular benefits, their potential as a prescribable, individual-level therapeutic intervention remains underexplored. This commentary proposes the concept of ‘urban mobility therapy’–the systematic integration of a city’s existing spatial form into cardiac rehabilitation, understood as an individualised menu of options rather than a universal activity mandate. Drawing on a clinical observation of dilated cardiomyopathy reverse remodelling associated with structured urban commuting in Ankara, Turkey, we argue that architectural features such as transit station staircases, campus perimeter zones, and accessible green corridors can function as differentiated medical infrastructure, provided they are designed to serve patients of varying capacity and need rather than a single activity-maximising ideal. We discuss the equity, governance, and participatory design implications of this approach, and outline actionable strategies for urban practitioners, aiming to bridge the gap between cardiology, urban planning, and the built environment.