The link between neighbourhood characteristics and social support: a pathway to adolescent wellbeing.

Given the growing urbanization of the world, the recent Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing called for a greater emphasis to be placed on the built environment as a social determinant of adolescent health. This call aligns with what we know from developmental neuroscience: adolescence is a period of life when the onset of puberty, social and cognitive development and changes in peer relations all affect how adolescents perceive and interact with their environment. Building on this call, scholars have proposed that improving adolescent wellbeing research requires focusing on the social and emotional opportunities that urban spaces can offer for socializing with friends and peer groups, for exploring local and wider environments and for emotion regulation. In line with this, neighbourhood characteristics, such as population density and compactness, deprivation and greenness, have all been proposed to play a distinct role in adolescent wellbeing. Given that social relationships and community belonging are central to adolescent self-development and mental health, this paper reviews how these neighbourhood characteristics influence opportunities for social support and connectedness, and, in turn, can serve as a pathway for adolescent wellbeing.