“There is abundant evidence to show that high buildings make people crazy.
High buildings have no genuine advantages, except in speculative gains for banks and land owners. They are not cheaper, they do not help create open space, they destroy the townscape, they destroy social life, they promote crime, they make life difficult for children, they are expensive to maintain, they wreck the open spaces near them, and they damage light and air and view. But quite apart from all of this, which shows that they aren’t very sensible, empirical evidence shows that they can actually damage people’s minds and feelings.”
(From A Pattern Language, a 1977 book by Christopher Alexander on architecture, urban design, and community livability)
When I started living in a high-rise my Mom said it was extremely important for me to get “grounded” at least once a month, which is executed by placing your bare feet on grass or dirt. She said it’s important for mental health and she claims that this also helps get electricity out of the body (I have no source for this claim). I don’t know if it’s a legitimate thing but I purposely go out for walks in the fields near my apartment and sit down without my shoes and socks on in grass every couple of weeks especially because I live so far from the ground…
