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.
Green Spaces Have Lasting Positive Effect on Well-being
“UK researchers found moving to a green space had a sustained positive effect, unlike pay rises or promotions, which only provided a short-term boost. The authors said the results indicated that access to good quality urban parks was beneficial to public health. The findings appear in the journal Environmental Science and Technology. Co-author Mathew White, from the European Centre for Environment and Human Health at the University of Exeter, UK, explained the study built on the findings of a study that showed people living in greener urban areas were displaying fewer signs of depression or anxiety… Dr. White said his team wanted to see whether living in greener urban areas had a lasting positive effect on people’s sense of well-being or whether the effect also disappeared after a period of time.”
Five Ways to Think About Greener, Healthier Cities
“I like to consider “people habitat” – the realm of places that humans build and inhabit – as having an ecology of its own, roughly analogous to that of natural wildlife habitat. Nature works best when it is in balance and, like the natural environment when operating at its best, the built environment created by us humans should achieve harmony among its various parts and with the larger world upon which it depends. But, while the ecology of the natural world – at least as usually studied – concerns itself primarily with the interdependence and health of non-human species, the ecology of people habitat concerns itself also with our relationships as humans to each other, and with the health of communities that support those relationships and allow us to flourish alongside and within nature.”
The Labyrinth: An Ancient Path, Leads to a New Documentary
“On the rooftop of the American Psychological Association’s office building in Washington, D.C., meditation teacher Klia Bassing leads class participants on a walk around a stone labyrinth. The labyrinth, which was installed as part of the building’s environmental green roof, is one of several in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area which will be featured in my new documentary, Labyrinth Journeys. The film, currently in production, will capture the stories of the people who use labyrinths in several different settings, and will explore the effect this circular pathway has on their lives. Labyrinth Journeys will also trace the history of this ancient structure and symbol, which is still relevant and widely used today.”
New York City’s Intervale Rooftop Urban Farm Cultivates More Than Food
“When thinking of the Bronx, the northernmost of New York City’s five boroughs, one might think first of Yankee Stadium, the Bronx Zoo, or the New York Botanical Garden. But what about farming? Up above one of the neighborhood’s residential buildings, a rooftop urban farm produced over 1000 lbs. of produce last season. Sponsored by Women’s Housing and Economic Development Corporation (WHEDco), the farm offers the building’s residents an opportunity to learn how to plant and harvest produce, build community bonds, and move towards a healthier, more self-sustainable lifestyle.”
