The Growing Case for Neurospatial Design: Investing in Health and Prosperity

As we spend more and more of our lives indoors, the design of the environments around us contributes significantly to our health, experiences, and social well-being. Neurospatial design, an emerging topic that bridges neuroscience, health, and the built environment, exerts growing influence over how we design the spaces, buildings, and cities in which we live, work, learn, and heal. Some organizations are already applying neurospatial design principles to create healthier, more supportive environments. However, broader adoption will require forward-thinking leaders across many areas—including workplaces, health care, education, and housing—to recognize the long-term benefits of neurospatial design for individuals, communities, and society. 

The Growing Case for Neurospatial Design: Investing in Health and Prosperity provides a compelling rationale for adopting neurospatial design across workplaces, health-care facilities, educational spaces, and residential communities. The report highlights two pathways with actionable opportunities to promote spaces designed to provide health and economic benefits: 

• In the near term, leaders should implement neurospatial design as an evidence-based strategy to improve the spaces where we work and heal, which can benefit employees, patients, and overall organizational health. 

• In the long term, organizations should grow the case for neurospatial design in schools and homes, which will enable broader adoption and scale implementation–ultimately strengthening entire communities. 

Read The Growing Case for Neurospatial Design: Investing in Health and Prosperity to learn more about how neurospatial design offers practical approaches to address challenges across many types of organizations, sectors, and communities, and how leaders can adopt neurospatial design to support individual health, community well-being, and economic prosperity. 

This report is made possible through a partnership between SPARC and The Pedersen Foundation. Through this partnership, SPARC also published the companion report Bridging Neuroscience, Health, and the Built Environment: A Giving Smarter Guide, which describes neurospatial design in more detail and outlines priority areas where philanthropic investment can advance this emerging ecosystem.