Earth Beat, 22 July 2011. How architecture influences us - from building cities for people instead of cars, to reclaiming the streets and using colour and wool to help the sick heal faster, we ponder how architecture affects our well-being.

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Cities for people
Nearly 40 years ago Jan Gehl, a Danish architect, made a connection between what a street looks and feels like, and how people use it. He’s made the emphasis that we have to build cities for people for most of his career, and he joins host Marnie Chesterton to discuss it.

Jan shows what modern architects can learn from traditional Nordic town planning in the 'Cities For People' video here.

Street reclaiming
They say that a space does not become a place until it is used for a purpose that was not intended by the designer. David Engwicht has taken that expression to heart. He’s been trying to reclaim streets all over the world for over twenty years by introducing simple ways of calming traffic.

Video - David reclaims the high street in Wodonga, Australia:

Town planning
Jan Gehl discusses the difference between a city in which one can walk, and in which one has to drive, as well as whether anthropologists and psychologists should be part of the process of planning and building public spaces.

Claudy Jongstra
Padded walls tend to be the preserve of mental institutions and prisons, but a Dutch designer wants to show they can also be used help people heal or learn. Claudy Jongstra creates wool felt panels to line the walls of schools and hospitals. Earth Beat producer Marijke Peters tells Marnie what they’re like.

The power of colour
It’s only recently that architects have started to focus on the potential power of colours. Architect Richard Mazuch, pictured left, is leading the pack. He says colour can have dramatic effects on how we feel and heal and says it’s a fundamental consideration in designing healthcare institutions.

SAD
For most people, a sunny day means a sunny disposition. But the end of October means the start of long dark winter days, when light and sun are hard to come by. For some people this lack of light can cause serious problems. Michiel Boerboom, pictured left, discusses what it’s like to have Seasonal Affective Disorder.

What to do when you’re SAD
Dr Norman Rosenthal discovered his own problem with SAD over 30 years ago – long before anyone was talking about it. He’s since become an expert on diagnosing and treating the problem and joins Marnie to talk about it.

Luxury light cabin
Marnie was keen to try out some light therapy for herself and tracked down a light cabin at the very smart executive Privium lounge at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport. Ian van der Putten from Privium showed her the ropes (photos below)

Envirominute
The great outdoors can sometimes be the not-so-great-outdoors when seasonal winds are involved. Our envirominute rounds them up, and their effects, in 60 seconds.

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