Contemplative Landscapes: Toward Healthier Built Environments

This review aims to show the current state of knowledge in the area of the visual quality of landscapes in urbanized areas and their influence on people’s mental health and well-being. This falls under the passive recreation and passive exposure to the environmental stimuli present in our cities (such as walking in nature and quiet contemplation) as opposed to active interactions with the landscapes such as horticulture therapy and meditation. Passive exposure to natural or built environments can shape our mental health patterns throughout the life cycle. Although we know that the quantity of green spaces in the cities can improve the well-being of city inhabitants and contact with natural environments can alleviate various psychological disorders, it is also likely that the quality of green spaces, including seemingly irrelevant landscape design nuances, can play a more important role for our mental health. At present, one can observe strong demand from policymakers for generating scientific evidence-based knowledge to provide recommendations for urban design and the maintenance of green spaces. The Contemplative Landscape Model is an operationalized construct which includes esthetic, environmental, and mental health values of landscapes and could serve as a useful tool to assist in the current need for knowledge. However, more research with an emphasis on causal relationships is needed

Designing Urban Green Blue Infrastructure for Mental Health and Elderly Wellbeing

The main objective of this essay is to illustrate the state-of-the-art on ‘mental health-sensitive’ open space design in the built environment. Urban Green Blue Infrastructure can contribute to urbanites’ mental health and wellbeing as well as healthy aging, while providing co-benefits balancing the negative impacts of climate change, through the provision of integrated ecosystem services. There are a number of ways that exposure to and affiliation with Nature have shown to support mental health, but we are still missing the necessary evidence of the actual benefits achieved, as well as the key performance indicators and metrics to monitor and adapt our open space to the growing urban challenges. After introducing the key concepts of degenerative mental disorders as they are growing in the urban environment, and the emerging green blue infrastructure design approach, the authors present international case studies describing how evidence-based design and Nature-based Solutions have been found to be beneficial, especially to those diagnosed with mental disorders. Subsequently, in a comparative critical analysis, the authors look closer at a number of design solutions capable, at different scales, to support healthy aging through exposure to, and affiliation with, biodiversity

Effects of 3D Contemplative Landscape Videos on Brain Activity in a Passive Exposure EEG Experiment

Background: Studies on Contemplative Landscapes (CL) show that not only do they have high ecological and visual values and are preferred by a majority of people, but they also can be beneficial to our mental health and well-being. Physical attributes of CL have been studied and operationalized, which has led to the development of the psychometric measurement tool called the Contemplative Landscape Questionnaire (CLQ) (1).Objectives: In the present study, we applied an experimental approach to the analysis of CL. We hypothesized that, when compared to Non-Contemplative Landscapes (NCL), they would induce higher frontal alpha power asymmetry, higher temporal beta power asymmetry and lower bilateral frontal beta power.Methods: Thirty-two healthy individuals (12 female) took part in the study. During the experimental protocol, participants were asked to passively view 12 landscapes, six CL and six NCL, while continuous EEG was recorded in a within-subjects design.Results: We found significantly increased power in the beta frequency band of the right temporal brain regions in the viewings of CL compared to NCLConclusions: The findings suggest that Contemplative Landscapes capture more visual, stimuli-driven attention from the viewers and can be linked with switching attention systems (described in Attention Restoration Theory), which is compatible with a stress reduction mechanism

Types and characteristics of urban and peri-urban blue spaces having an impact on human mental health and wellbeing: a systematic review

Urbanization is increasingly putting pressures on biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services. Evidence indicates that green and blue spaces can support the mental health of urban residents. Policy makers, city planners, other decision makers, healthcare professionals, and land managers now face a major challenge to maintain and enhance natural areas and characteristics. Knowing which types and characteristics of blue and green space are beneficial for mental health is necessary to inform planning and management decisions. EKLIPSE received a request from the Ministry in charge of the Environment of France (MTES) to review: “Which types of urban and peri-urban green and blue spaces, and which characteristics of such spaces, have a significant impact on human mental health and wellbeing?”. After a preliminary scoping, a decision was made to perform two systematic reviews assessing the specific types and characteristics of blue space (review 1) and green space (review 2) on mental health and wellbeing. The systematic searches were supported and conducted by an experienced team of librarians, made possible by the financial support of the WHO. This report presents the systematic review for blue space (Review 1)

Blue space in urban and peri-urban areas and mental health: which blue space types and characteristics are most beneficial?

There is an increasing awareness that besides green spaces, blue spaces can also positively influence mental as well as physical health (see for example, Völker & Kistemann, 2011; Gascon et al., 2017). Blue spaces are: “outdoor environments – either natural or manmade – that prominently feature water and are accessible to humans either proximally (being in, on or near water) or distally/virtually (being able to see, hear or otherwise sense water)” (Grellier et al., 2017, p. 3). Examples include coasts, lakes, ponds and pond systems, wadis systems, artificial buffer basins and water courses. Together with green spaces they form the green-blue infrastructure. Therefore, a second systematic review focused on effects of blue spaces on mental health

Green space in urban and peri-urban areas and mental health: which green space types and characteristics are most beneficial?

Urban green space plays an important role in the mental and physical health of urbanites, as well as of people working in or visiting urban areas (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2016). But green space can be very diverse in its typology, including for instance urban forests, parks, playgrounds, allotments and urban farming locations. These green space types can also differ greatly in their defining characteristics; for instance, parks can differ in scenic beauty, vegetative composition or openness. Globally, continuing urbanization, as well as climate change, is increasingly putting pressure on the existence of green spaces within urban areas (e.g. Dallimer et al., 2011; Richards & Belcher, 2020). The scarcity of urban green space and the desire to create liveable cities requires in-depth knowledge on how different green space types and characteristics influence mental health, to facilitate well-informed design and planning choices

Green space in urban and peri-urban areas and mental health: which green space types and characteristics are most beneficial?

Urban green space plays an important role in the mental and physical health of urbanites, as well as of people working in or visiting urban areas (WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2016). But green space can be very diverse in its typology, including for instance urban forests, parks, playgrounds, allotments and urban farming locations. These green space types can also differ greatly in their defining characteristics; for instance, parks can differ in scenic beauty, vegetative composition or openness. Globally, continuing urbanization, as well as climate change, is increasingly putting pressure on the existence of green spaces within urban areas (e.g. Dallimer et al., 2011; Richards & Belcher, 2020). The scarcity of urban green space and the desire to create liveable cities requires in-depth knowledge on how different green space types and characteristics influence mental health, to facilitate well-informed design and planning choices