Most of psychology focuses on our inner experiences or our relationships with other humans. These are important, but they don’t happen in a void. Our physical environments shape our experiences and impact our well-being and resilience too.
One especially neglected area is the built environment. These are the human-made spaces where most of us spend most of our time.
Our physical environments can support our well-being and ability to overcome challenges (resilience)–or not. Everyone knows that generic cubicles and ugly fluorescent lighting can be soul-sucking environments, but there’s more to it than that—and a walk audit can help you maximize your surroundings.
Working on our physical spaces pays off 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Sometimes it is hard to exercise, meditate, or journal. We might be too sick, busy, or dealing with crises. A supportive physical environment can help sustain you through those times. It’s a key element of our resilience portfolios. Also, tweaking the physical environment can help many people at once.
How to Conduct a Walk Audit
A walk audit is a simple tool that involves intentionally moving through the spaces of your life, and trying to see them with fresh eyes.
Choose one space at a time to focus on: workplace, school, home, or somewhere else.
Slow down and try to remember your first impressions of the space. Take at least 10-15 minutes to walk around (longer if it is a big space), and then process what you observed. It can be good to walk with others who use the space.
Consider the following. Feel free to take photos or videos as you walk.
Before You Walk
Take a moment to revisit previous thoughts or comments about the space:
- Do people often get lost trying to find it?
- Do visitors seem unsure where to sit or stand?
- Are you comfortable in this space, or do long hours in this space leave you with a sore back or neck?
- What positive compliments have you received about the space?
- What is your favorite element?
During Your Walk Audit
1. Think about how easily a newcomer can navigate your space.
- Are there signs that help visitors find their way—clearly visible house numbers, buildings, departments, classrooms?
- Do safe sidewalks or pathways naturally direct people to the reception or other key areas?
2. How welcoming is your space?
- Are there signs that greet or welcome people?
- Are there plants, flowers, art, or other landscaping or décor that make the place appealing to approach?
3. Are your family/organizational/institutional values readily apparent from the surroundings? This could manifest itself in various ways:
- At school or work, perhaps the simplest is just to post your mission statement or institutional values where people can see them.
- Upkeep is a signal to people about whether your institution is important to the people who inhabit it.
- Photographs can be a huge help here. In the home, photographs can show a commitment to family or send a message about a love of travel or a favorite hobby. At work or school, people can be highlighted for good performance, or showcased for volunteering for a cause that the organization supports.
4. Do the surroundings promote well-being through warm or vibrant (versus sterile) color choices, comfortable furnishings, and quiet and privacy when needed?
- Some workplaces need to protect employees’ privacy, but that doesn’t mean that a place has to look soulless. If you can’t post family photos, consider a child’s drawing or a souvenir.
- Appealing paint colors, nice lighting, murals, and upholstered furniture all indicate that these are places where people can be happy.
5. Are the surroundings appropriate for the population?
- If children are often in the space, are there books and toys for them? Child-sized furniture?
- If groups are often in the space, is the seating arranged so that people from the same family, classroom, or department can sit together?
- If the community visits the space, are there comfortable places for them?
Positive Psychology Essential Reads
6. Are there accessibility issues for people with disabilities?
- Are there ramps and handicap-accessible bathrooms?
- Is there clutter that makes it hard for people to pass, or signage that is too small for many people to read?
7. Are basic human/mammalian needs being met?
- Are there bathrooms, kitchens, fridges, opportunities to eat, exercise, rest?
- Is there a break room or a place where people can catch up informally?
8. Think about the arrangement of furniture in indoor spaces. What messages does that send?
- In office or school spaces, one thing I always notice is how chairs are arranged around a desk. I like to put a chair on the side of my desk for visitors, which feels less formal and intimidating. Or set things up so you can pivot your chair away from your desk and join a circle of chairs. A huge desk with a big office chair on one side and smaller furniture opposite indicates emotional distance and hierarchies.
- In home spaces, some living rooms or dens only have one comfortable chair, for the head of the household. Everyone else shifts and fidgets.
What is one change you could make today that would improve your space?
Some examples that don’t cost any money:
- Create a sign (just use a regular printer) that is more informative or welcoming, or that reinforces institutional values.
- Move some furniture around to encourage more interaction.
- Remove an obstacle or unused equipment.
- Clean up an area. Start small: Clear out a shelf, closet, or drawer. Small steps add up.
Some inexpensive examples:
- Purchase and install (it just takes a few screws or nails) some larger and nicer house numbers.
- Get some inexpensive frames (black ones look nice at almost any price point) and frame some pictures from some children, that statement of values you just printed, or a favorite quote.
- Repaint your space, or buy inexpensive art at a thrift store or yard sale to cover blemishes.
- Bring less-industrial furniture into your work or school space. Used furniture prices are perhaps as cheap as they’ve ever been, and a lot of that furniture is much nicer quality than you can buy new in most stores.
- Add some desk or floor lamps so that overhead lighting is not the only kind. Change the lightbulbs to warmer or rosier colors.
Small changes can lead to big, lasting payoffs that require little or no ongoing effort. Don’t neglect this key tool for enhancing your resilience and well-being—as well as helping those you care about.
My new book, Stronger Than You Think: Building Lifelong Resilience (Penguin Random House, 2026), offers additional ideas for enhancing your physical environment and other elements of your resilience portfolio.
