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.
The Historic Healing Power of the Beach
“Long before the beach was a theater of bodies stuffed into tiny suits, exposing as much skin as possible to the sun, beach-going was often a strictly medical undertaking. For centuries we looked to the sand and surf as a fully-stocked pharmacy…Beginning in the late 16th century, English physicians endorsed the healing effects of cold water for everything from heat stroke to melancholy. It was believed that a brisk shock of cold water stimulated the entire body, promoting the circulation of humors and even contracting tumors…These days we have 100 SPF sunblock, but our desire to find medical answers at the beach continues. British researchers looked into the benefits of seaside living, which positively associated with good health.”
Hemingway, Thoreau, Jefferson and the Virtues of a Good Long Walk
“Solvitur ambulando — “it is solved by walking.” This phrase refers to the 4th-century-B.C. Greek philosopher Diogenes’s response to the question of whether motion is real — he got up and walked. As it turns out, there are many other problems and paradoxes to which walking is the solution. For instance: In our culture of overwork, burnout, and exhaustion, in which we’re connected and distracted 24/7 from most things that are truly important in our lives, how do we tap into our creativity, our wisdom, our capacity for wonder, our well-being and our ability to connect with what we really value…Less subjective are the scientific studies that increasingly show the psychological benefits of walking and other forms of exercise to be very tangible…Research has also shown similar benefits to simply being around nature. One study showed that spending time in natural settings makes us more generous and more community-oriented, a conclusion that has ‘implications not only for city planning but also for indoor design and architecture.’”
24th Street Urban Farm Coalition’s Medicine Garden knits Minneapolis American Indian Community Together
“Most community gardens are small rented plots, paid for and maintained by individuals who buy and plant the seeds and put in sweat equity for a small harvest. The 24th Street Urban Farm Coalition’s Medicine, in the Ventura Village neighborhood of Minneapolis, is different. Less a community garden and more a communal garden, it’s a place where members of the mostly American Indian community can come to help maintain, harvest fresh vegetables—sharing work, food, and knowledge. The garden, has been open since 2011, on a tract of land donated by and across from the Indian Health Board. The mission of the garden expanded this year when Christina Elias, its first farmer, was hired. Elias has gone beyond the garden’s original mission working, she says, to make this garden a place to come for community, art, spirit and connections to the Earth. ‘There’s a spiritual element,’ said Elias, ‘that comes from making the garden beautiful and artistic. You can’t grow food without a spiritual connection.’”
On and Off the Beaten Paths — Hiking Offers a Fun Way to Stay in Shape
“There is always something to be said for people who venture off the beaten path, and for local hikers, it goes beyond exploring new territory into reaping the health benefits provided by regional hiking hot spots…According to the American Hiking Society, hiking can improve fitness and reduce the risks of health issues like heart disease, colon cancer, hypertension, diabetes and high blood pressure, as well as help control weight for healthy bones and muscles, and reduce the symptoms of anxiety and depression. The society hosts National Trails Day every year to celebrate hitting the trails. Next year’s celebration will be held on June 7.”
