Research Summary: Designing Technology for Social Wellbeing in Built Environments: A Conceptual Framework

Research indicates a gap in unified guidance for designing digital technologies aimed at supporting social wellbeing within urban built environments. This deficiency is significant given the established link between robust social wellbeing and positive mental and physical health outcomes. A new conceptual framework is proposed to address this, aiming to guide the design of such technologies, potentially positioning them as health-promoting interventions.

Why it matters

The development of a conceptual framework for designing technology that enhances social wellbeing addresses a critical gap in urban development and public health. This framework is vital for ensuring that technological investments in built environments yield positive social and health outcomes, preventing unintended negative consequences and maximizing societal benefit.

Key insights

• Digital technologies are increasingly deployed in urban built environments to foster social dimensions.
• There is currently no unified guidance or framework to inform the design of these digital technologies for social wellbeing.
• Weak social wellbeing is directly linked to negative mental and physical health outcomes.
• Technology designed to enhance social wellbeing could serve as a preventative health intervention.
• A conceptual framework is being developed, comprising three core components, synthesized from empirical studies, to guide this design process.

Source

arXiv — Computers and Society — https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.10779