Upcoming Events

As part of a seminar at Charité, Dr. Shadi Bagherzadeh Azbari and Sephira Kolbe introduced Master’s students in the Public Health program to the topic “How Cities Affect Our Mental Health.” The seminar explored the relationship between urban environments and psychological well-being, focusing on factors such as stress, isolation, population density, social environments, and access to green spaces. Through scientific evidence, practical examples, and interactive discussions, participants gained insights into how urban design and planning can contribute to promoting mental health and improving public health outcomes.

On 29 May 2026, Dr. Shadi Bagherzadeh Azbari and Frederick Drusenthal presented our ongoing research project Deine Emotionale Stadt and the newly developed Citizen Scientist App at Charité Research Day 2026 in Berlin-Neukölln. The project attracted considerable interest from visitors, highlighting the growing public engagement with and awareness of urban mental health. The lively response underscored the relevance of understanding how urban environments shape emotional well-being and demonstrated strong public interest in citizen-driven approaches to mental health research.

At the 2026 BUA Grand Challenges Conference 2026, Dr. Shadi Bagherzadeh Azbari, Sephira Kolbe, Prof. Dr. Mazda Adli, Felix Bentlin, and Dr. Corinna Kühnapfel presented new research on how urban environments shape emotional experience and well-being in Berlin.

We introduced a new version of the Your Emotional City app, which captures how people experience the city across places, situations, and times of day through in-the-moment reports. The project explores not only which urban environments feel stressful or restorative, but also for whom and under which conditions — examining how factors such as greenery, social belonging, safety, and aesthetic qualities like beauty and interestingness influence well-being.

We also presented a comparative field study on public art in dense urban environments. By placing the same large-scale art installation in two contrasting Berlin locations — a green pedestrian promenade and a traffic-dominated boulevard — we found that the intervention increased perceived beauty, invitingness, and belonging across both sites.

Talk with Oliver Hauke

January 22th, 2026 at KLICK Kino

Oliver Hauke gave a talk titled “Stress & the City: A Glimpse into the World of Neurourbanism” as part of the Immofrauen New Year’s event at the KLICK Kino in Berlin Charlottenburg. He introduced the research project “Your Emotional City”. The presentation focused on how urban environments influence mental health and which factors shape emotional experiences in cities.

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(Photo by: ImmoFrauen e.V.)

Workshop with Dr. Shadi Bagherzadeh Azbari

February 20th, 2025 at Futurium

Dr. Shadi Bagherzadeh Azbari, Senior Researcher of “Your Emotional City,” shared insights into the project’s vision. Attendees engaged in discussions on urban mental well-being, exploring scientific insights and initial study results. The event fostered an interactive exchange on urban development, stress, loneliness, and mental health.

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(Photo by: Michael Schulte)

Interactive event with Content-Creator Clara Lösel

March 29th, 2025 at R.A.W. Gelände

Over 120 visitors took the opportunity to record their emotions and experiences in the city of Berlin in handwritten notes on paper sheets. The event made it clear: the city of the future is built on the emotions of its residents.

(Photo by: Michael Schulte)

Guest Lecture at Charité: Urban Stress and Mental Health

June 25th, 2025 at Charité - Mitte

As part of the Environment and Health module in the MScPH program at Charité, Dr. Shadi Bagherzadeh Azbari and Sephira Kolbe gave a guest lecture on the project Your Emotional City. Insights into the research background and early findings were shared, while the interactive session invited students to engage with key themes such as urban stress, loneliness, and mental well-being.

(Photo by: Cäcilia Taddia)

Scientific talk by Dr. Shadi Bagherzahdeh-Azbari

June 27th, 2025 at Humboldt-University of Berlin - WINS School

As part of the WINS School 2025, various talks explored the role of Artificial Intelligence in science.
Dr. Shadi Bagherzadeh-Azbari gave a presentation on “Your Emotional City: How Digital Tools and AI Inform Urban Well-Being.”

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(Photo by: Philipp Plum | HU Berlin)

Workshop with Sephira Kolbe

August 22th, 2025 at Futurium

In this workshop, led by doctoral researcher and project coordinator Sephira Kolbe, participants developed a vision for the Berlin of the future that places the mental well-being of its residents at the center. The process was based on findings from the scientific study Deine Emotionale Stadt as well as the participants’ personal experiences. Together, they discussed how the city could be designed in 2050 to provide a healthy and livable environment.

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(Photo by: Michael Schulte)

Interview with Sephira Kolbe on Radioeins RBB

August 27th, 2025 Radioeins RBB

Sephira Kolbe was interviewed on the radio, where she provided insights into the project Deine Emotionale Stadt. In the conversation, she explained the goals and background of the research, which explores the relationship between the urban environment, stress factors, and the mental well-being of Berlin’s residents.

(Photo by: jhenning)

Interactive stand

August 30th, 2025 at Futurium

We had the opportunity to present our project ‘Your Emotional City’ during the Lange Nacht der Museen at Futurium. We engaged with visitors about the places in the city where they experience significant stress, as well as locations where they feel more relaxed. Visitors could also take part in an interactive game and riddle on mental health and stress, and we shared information about the app and its results.

(Photo by: Alina Habert)

OpenLab with Sephira Kolbe

September 27th, 2025 at Zentral- und Landesbibliothek

To launch the “Zusammenleben” program, the ZLB pop-up hosted a participation day for Berliners. “Your Emotional City” joined workshops and info sessions on civic engagement—exploring how we live together, what keeps the city healthy, and what meaningful participation can look like.

(Photo by: Alina Habert)

Interactive event and guest talk with Oliver Hauke and Cäcilia Taddia

November 13th, 2025 at Stadtwerkstatt Mitte

Under the motto “Dein Kiez im Digitalen Raum”, the Office for Citizen Participation in Mitte invited everyone interested to explore digital tools, platforms and projects related to civic participation, data and neighbourhood life. Our project Deine Emotionale Stadt took part with an interactive stand, and the team gave a talk on how our perception of the city can be captured digitally.

(Photo by: Cäcilia Taddia)

Panel discussion and Talk with Prof. Dr. Mazda Adli and Sephira Kolbe

November 03th, 2025 at Futurium

There was a panel discussion on how Berliners experience their city, including what kind of emotional reactions occur in different parts of Berlin and what contributes to liveable cities in the future. The panel consisted of Prof. Dr. Martina Löw, Prof. Dr. Mazda Adli, Sarah Wedl-Wilson and Ilona Hartmann. In addition, Sephira Kolbe gave a talk on loneliness and presented the latest project updates from “Deine emotionale Stadt”.

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(Photo by: Cäcilia Taddia)

Talk with Sephira Kolbe

August 22th, 2025 at VEREIN ANDERE ZEITEN

Sephira Kolbe gave a talk at Galerie Kollaborativ about the relationship between mental health and urban life. She highlighted how different aspects of the city environment can shape how we feel and cope in everyday situations, and what factors can matter most for wellbeing. Afterwards, there was time for questions and discussion.

(Photo by: Deine Emotionale Stadt)