Cities are often described as vibrant and exciting, fast paced and bustling environments. Cities should therefore also have deliberately designated and designed spaces to renew and recover resources that have become depleted in facing the requirements of daily life. This thesis grows out of a shared global concern that our cities are having an impact on our health and wellbeing, more so, with the majority of the world’s growing population living and moving into cities; thus, the necessity for restorative environments within urban settings. There is a growing body of research looking at how different environments can affect people’s health and well-being and enhance or hinder their activity. Researchers in this field, commonly called “environmental design research”, have for a long time acknowledged that the challenge has always been the translation of their their findings into formats that are acknowledged and applicable by urban design practitioners. This thesis provides a summary of what has happened in this area of research. It then discusses central concepts in restorative environment research focusing on the two theories, the psycho-evolutionary theory and the attention restoration theory. The thesis seeks to arrive at an understanding and critical appreciation for research on people’s interactions with environments. There is also a critical evaluation of the strengths and deficiencies in Nairobi’s Central Business District’s key public open spaces focusing on their restorative qualities. The study then concludes with recommendations on strategies and approaches that use insights and knowledge from environmental psychology to inform the design of more psychologically and physiologically restorative urban environments.

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