Every week, we bring you the latest news in placemaking, landscape architecture, the nature-mental health link, and much more. Check back each week for new roundups and items.
Connecting With Nature Boosts Creativity and Health
“”I’ve been arguing for a while that connection to nature should be thought of as a human right,” Richard Louv told the crowd assembled in the courtyard of National Geographic headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday…Louv, the author of the bestsellers Last Child in the Woods (2005) and The Nature Principle (2011)-coined the term “nature-deficit disorder” to describe the loss of connection children increasingly feel with the natural world. Nature-deficit disorder is not a clinically recognized condition, he explains, but rather a term to evoke a loss of communion with other living things. Nevertheless, he argues, nature-deficit disorder affects “health, spiritual well-being, and many other areas, including [people’s] ability to feel ultimately alive.””
People Living Near the Sea May Be Healthier
“A new study analyzed information from more than 48 million people in England and found that the nearer they lived to the coast, the more likely people were to report good health within the past year. The results held even after the researchers took into account possible health factors such as age, sex, socioeconomic status, and whether they lived near parks or other green spaces.”
Cities with Innovative Green Initiatives
“Do you live green? We found cities all over America that are working overtime to be clean, sustainable and environmentally friendly. Green initiatives like waste management, forest restoration, natural resource protection, public transportation and alternative energy projects can have positive effects both on the environment and on the budget. Our picks for cities with green initiatives have all this and more, and their success comes from involving the entire community in the effort to be as green as possible.”
The Healing Garden
“Gardening is often thought as an individual activity, though with the rise of garden makeover shows and more importantly community gardening projects, team work in the garden is becoming more common. However, It is still rare to see a commercial company and two charities working together to create a green space for troubled armed forces veterans in the urban brick jungle…Gardening Leave tends to the invisible wounds of conflict by providing horticultural therapy for veterans with mental health issues.”
