Tag: Open Voices
Recommended Reading: Growing benefits of Green Walls
There are many innovative ways to introduce more greenspace into the concrete jungles of urban areas. Though there may not always be enough land to cultivate a community garden, landscape architects are starting to think more vertically. Green walls, or a vertical garden, can have a positive impact on cities from improving the aesthetic to…
Recommended Reading: ‘No Child Left Inside’
Now’s the time of year when students, parents and teachers are busy preparing to head back to school. A new school year means new classes and new activities – but it also means more time spent sitting inside at desks rather than soaking up the summer sun. Only some students are lucky enough to get…
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…
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…
Recommended Reading: Mounds of Trash into Treasured Landscape
The large Freshkills landfill used to be one of the less flattering, yet defining features of Staten Island. But that is all going to change in the next few years, and we can already begin to see the improvements, as the expansive 2,200 acres transitions into a park with the help of James Corner Field…
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…
