1 Doctoral student, National higher school of Islamic Sciences – Djamaa el Djazair, Algiers, Algeria
2 Associate Professor, Polytechnic School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Algiers, Algeria
Abstract. This research proposes an operational conceptual framework to counter the harmful effects of contemporary urban planning on holistic health. It advocates for a reconciliation between ethical urbanism and environmental medicine. Viewing architecture as a transformative spatial mediation, it draws on the concept of the Thin Place and takes the mosque as the archetype of a therapeutic urban space. Through an interdisciplinary approach combining ethical urban planning, sacred architecture, and environmental health sciences, the study identifies three guiding principles: designing religious buildings as generators of public space and social connection; adopting a multi-scalar and holistic approach; and conceiving architecture as a spiritual nudge fostering contemplation, ultimately positioning sacred architecture as a therapeutic infrastructure at the heart of the city.
Keywords: Ethical urbanism, Holistic health, Mosque, Sacred architecture, Therapeutic space, Conceptual framework.
Modern functional urban planning is increasingly criticised for its harmful effects on the holistic health of urban societies. Historically, there was a close link between urban planning and medicine, particularly under the influence of 19th-century hygienist theories, which aimed to clean up, ventilate and green cities. This relationship gradually broke down in the 1960s, when modern urban planning turned to technical rationality and medicine turned to curative technology, abandoning the preventive and health-related mission of urban space (Baud, 1981, Déoux, 2020). Contemporary built environments, centred on car traffic, productivity and speed, generate poor living conditions and a stressful landscape, contributing to what could be called the distress of a trapped society (WHO,2016). In light of this observation, a paradigm shift is imperative: we need to rebuild a strategic alliance between environmental medicine and ethical urbanism.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), health should be understood as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, a global resource influenced by a multitude of factors, including the built environment. Architecture, as a spatial mediation between humans and their environment, capable of bringing about inner transformation, empowering and uplifting individuals. By bringing symbolic dimensions – chaos, amorphousness, and dispositionality – into tension, it allows the tangible and the transcendent to be articulated (Youssef, 2024). The concept of Thin Place is central here. It is therefore a question of drawing inspiration from this transformative power to rethink the role of architecture as a whole (Béres, 2012).
This research consists of constructing an operational conceptual framework using the mosque as an archetype of a therapeutic urban space. This framework is based on an interdisciplinary analysis that combines contributions from ethical urban planning, sacred architecture, and environmental health sciences. The aim of this approach is to identify spatial and symbolic mechanisms that offer concrete benefits for holistic health.
The results of this reflection are reflected in a set of guiding principles aimed at reconciling sacred architecture and the health of the contemporary city for a redemptive urban integration. Firstly, religious buildings should be designed as generators of public space, capable of structuring the urban morphology and stimulating social interactions rather than remaining frozen in monumental isolation. Secondly, a multi-scale and holistic approach should be favoured, articulating the scales of the territory, the neighbourhood, and the architectural object through multidisciplinary reflection. Finally, using architecture as a spiritual “nudge” is a promising approach: similar to neuroarchitecture, it involves designing environments that, through their gentle sensory and spatial qualities, subtly encourage contemplation, pause, and encounter. These principles outline a model of redemptive urban integration in which sacred architecture becomes an active therapeutic infrastructure.
Bibliography
1. Bell, S. L., Foley, R., Houghton, F., Maddrell, A., & Williams, A. M. (2018). From therapeutic landscapes to healthy spaces, places and practices: A scoping review. Social Science & Medicine, 196, 123–130. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.11.035
2. Belmessaoud-Boukhalfa, B. (2012). The ethical dimension of Islamic urban architectural heritage as sustainable design. In The Sustainable City VII, Vol. 2 (pp. 917–928). Polytechnic School of Architecture and Urban Planning, Algiers, Algeria: WIT Press. https://doi.org/10.2495/SC120772
3. Béres, L. (2012). A thin place: Narratives of space and place, Celtic spirituality and meaning. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 31(4), 394–413. https://doi.org/10.1080/15426432.2012.716297
4. Li, H., Xue, T., Zhang, A., Shen, J., Luo, X., Kong, L., & Huang, G. (2025). Impact of urban and cultural landscape heritage on mental health: A systematic review and meta-synthesis. BMC Public Health, 25, 53095. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-24211-z
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