Enhancing emotional well-being in urban spaces: unveiling the potential of tactical urbanism through an image-based randomised control trial

Urban infrastructure development has traditionally been characterised by top-down decision-making processes, high costs, and lengthy timelines. Tactical Urbanism (TU) has emerged as a novel approach, offering a rapid, cost-effective, and participatory method for creating public spaces. While it is sometimes criticised as an ‘empty urbanism’ with little societal contribution that distracts city governments from long-term objectives, the experience of COVID focused people on the importance of access to public realm for emotional well-being. This study investigates the impact of TU on the emotional well-being of individuals compared to traditional infrastructure (TI) solutions. Focusing on two prevalent TU typologies—pocket parks and walkable streets—we conducted a randomised controlled trial involving 390 participants who rated 5460 images depicting various interventions. Our results reveal that TU significantly enhances emotional well-being within public spaces, doubling the benefits of TI solutions, with a wide reach across diverse socio-demographics. The design elements of TU, integrating for example greenery in planters, murals, eye-catching urban furniture, lively colours, food trucks, floor treatment, and bicycle parking, are key contributors to these gains in emotional well-being. Our findings underscore the importance of incorporating TU principles into traditional urban planning practices to optimise the emotional well-being outcomes of urban infrastructure.