Tag: Benefits of Nature


Open Voices News Roundup: August 26

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. Workout with Mother Nature “Getting people to exercise alfresco is the intent of the Naturally Fit program, a collaboration of the Sonoma County Regional Parks and Sonoma…

Recommended Reading: Not Just Birds Chirping in Central Park

A lot can be conveyed in 140 characters. Twitter allows for people to express their thoughts and emotions quickly and broadcast them in real time. This provides us with a large amount of untapped data, which the New England Complex Systems Institute used to map the change of sentiment of New Yorkers near different city…

Resilient Design: An Interview with Nancy Chikaraishi and Traci Sooter

Open Voices is taking the opportunity to get to know some of the different team members from our National Awards grantee projects. You can find previous interviews with other team members here. Neither Nancy Chikaraishi, AIA, or Traci Sooter, AIA , LEED AP,  are strangers to applying their skills as architects to help their local community….

Open Voices News Roundup: August 19

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. Connect Children to Nature “Making mud pies, watching an anthill or skipping rocks on the water: many adults remember enjoying such outdoor activities as children. However, research…

Learning a Love of Nature in the City: A Q&A with Sara Hobel

Open Voices is taking the opportunity to get to know some of the different team members from our National Awards grantee projects. You can find previous interviews with other team members here. Building on her previous experiences as an advocate for the benefits of nature, such as leading up the Urban Park Rangers in New…

Recommended Listening: Think About Getting Back to Nature

There have been increasing amounts of studies and literature linking improved mental health with being in touch with the natural world. Doctors, authors, and artists all seem to be searching for ways to quantify and describe how beneficial nature is for one’s well-being and health. The Canadian Broadcasting Company/Radio Canada produces a regular podcast that…

Trees in Cities: A Breath of Fresh Air

It’s a fact: living in a city or other urban environment means dealing with pollution. But while it may seem unavoidable, there are untapped ways to improve the air quality of our cities. New research from a team including David Nowak and Robert Hoehn from the USDA Forest Service and Satoshi Hirabayashi and Allison Bodine…

Open Voices News Roundup: August 12

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. Drs. Oz and Roizen: “Green prescriptions” for Busy People “Getting up close and personal with Mother Nature yields big mind-body benefits. A walk in the park is…

Open Voices News Roundup: August 5

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. How Better Urban Design Makes Us Healthier, Happier, and Sexier “Cities have policies that sound good on paper, calling for mixed-use development and walkable neighborhoods, but they…

Recommended Reading: Promoting the Benefits of Planting Trees in Cities

When you think of trees, you might picture vast wooded forests in more rural settings. But many don’t realize how important trees are to urban communities and ecosystems as well. That’s why David Nowak, a researcher for the Forest Service, has teamed up with private industry and non-governmental organizations to create an innovative tool called…

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