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.
MIT Research Reveals the Power of Placemaking
“The MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning released new research that examines the evolution of urban planning and its effects on communities. The report defines placemaking as “an innovative approach to transforming communities by creating and revitalizing open, public spaces around the needs and desires of the community.’ ‘Placemaking puts power back in the hands of the people,’ said Susan Silberberg, lead researcher of the MIT team that performed the study. ‘The most successful placemaking initiatives transcend the ‘place’ to forefront the ‘making,’ and the benefits for community can be substantial and long-lasting.’”
Children Urged to Put Away Screens and Play Outside
“The Wild Network wants children to take up activities like conkers and camping. “The tragic truth is that kids have lost touch with nature and the outdoors in just one generation,” said chairman Andy Simpson. The organisers argue that swapping 30 minutes of television and computer games each day for outdoor play would increase the levels of fitness and alertness and improve children’s well-being. “Time spent outdoors is down, roaming ranges have fallen drastically, activity levels are declining and the ability to identify common species has been lost,” said Mr Simpson.”
Benefits Of Ecotherapy: Being In Nature Fights Depression, Improves Mental Health And Well-Being
“”Green therapy,” also known as ecotherapy, is gaining the attention of researchers, nature enthusiasts, and people in search of alleviating symptoms of depression. Being in nature is has long been associated with being mindful and meditative, but only recently has the scientific community researched the mental health benefits of outdoor immersion. A recent study conducted by researchers from the University of Essex and published by the mental health organization Mind found that taking a walk in nature reduced depression scores in 71 percent of participants. ‘Our research shows people commissioning mental health services and social care that a holistic treatment like ecotherapy delivers not only health benefits, but wider social benefits and cost savings that medication could not,’ Paul Farmer, chief executive of Mind, said.”
W.Va. State Program Lets Kids Learn Gardening
“Recently, youth involved in SCRATCH, which stands for Sustainable Community Revitalization in Appalachia Through Children’s Hands, celebrated with a Harvest Party at the site of their project, the Maudella Taylor Garden on 11th Avenue in Huntington. The program, which is offered through the West Virginia State University’s Extension Service, is funded through a $660,000, five-year U.S. Department of Agriculture grant. The funds have allowed for the development of a garden on three lots in the 1400 block of 11th Avenue, as well as gardens at the A.D. Lewis Center, Fairfield East Community Center and Spring Hill Elementary…The zest of the program is that it’s directed by the children themselves. They decide what they want to grow, and they decide what they want to make out of what they grow, whether food products, bath products like soap or lotion or flowers to sell locally.”
