Is there a connection between city living and addictive behaviours? A London team of researchers, including a psychologist, artist and landscape architect, is embarking on a bold experiment to find out.

The project, called ‘Ecologies of Addiction’, is being funded via a collaboration between the New York based Van Alen Institute and the London-based Imperial College’s Sustainable Society Network.

A group of volunteers are to be recruited in London to answer questions via an app on their phones about their location and state of mind several times a day. It is hoped the results will give a clearer picture as to the way cities contribute to risk taking and addictive behaviours and provide a guide for urban planning into the future.