SLA (American Society of Landscape Architects) Healthcare & Therapeutic Design Professional Practice Network
www.asla.org/PPNIndividualHome.aspx?id=3308
Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA)
www.anfarch.org
ANFA is the only organization in the world devoted to the goal of
building intellectual bridges between neuroscience and architecture. Not
only will architects benefit from the knowledge base made possible by
neuroscience, but future generations of school children, hospital
patients, office workers, and worshippers in sacred places will have
their environments more carefully tuned to their needs and desires.
Access to Nature
www.accesstonature.org
Planning outdoor space for aging.
This award-winning DVD series illustrates a wide variety of ways to
make nature more accessible and inviting at senior communities.Backed by
current research, Access to Nature is a multimedia educational program
on improving outdoor access for older adults.
This set of three videos, interactive exercises, and a continuing
education course form a powerful learning tool in a format that can
easily be applied by designers, administrators, activity directors,
gerontologists, and others involved with senior housing.
These guidelines show how to plan outdoor space to benefit health,
increase physical activity, and improve quality of life in residential
settings at all levels of care.
Acer Institute
www.acerinstitute.org
Founder / Director: P. Annie Kirk, BSW, MLA, ASLA
The Acer Institute unites professionals regionally to facilitate
dynamic, patient-focused, multidisciplinary design processes; facilitate
conferences and education services; sponsor on-going research and
knowledge community repository; and conduct post-design evaluations.
Active Living by Design
www.activelivingbydesign.org
Active Living By Design (ALBD) creates community-led change by
working with local and national partners to build a culture of active
living and healthy eating. Established by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, ALBD is part of the North Carolina Institute for Public Health at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health in Chapel Hill, North Carolina.
Active Living Research
www.activelivingresearch.org
Active Living Research, a national program of the Robert Wood
Johnson Foundation, contributes to the prevention of childhood obesity
in low-income and high-risk racial/ethnic communities by supporting
research to examine how environments and policies influence active
living for children and their families.
AIA Academy of Architecture and Health
www.network.aia.org/academyofarchitectureforhealth
The AAH mission is to improve both the quality of healthcare design and
the design of healthy communities by developing, documenting, and
disseminating knowledge; educating design practitioners and other
related constituencies; advancing the practice of architecture; and
affiliating and advocating with others that share these priorities.
American Architectural Foundation (AAF)
www.archfoundation.org
AAF educates individuals and communities about the power of
architecture to transform lives and improve the places where we live,
learn, work, and play. Through our outreach programs, grants,
scholarships and educational resources, AAF inspires people to become
thoughtful and engaged stewards of the built environment.
Architecture and Design Scotland (A+DS) Healthier Places
www.ads.org.uk/healthierplaces
“Supporting the creation of truly healing places and healthier communities across Scotland.” Includes Pulse,
the Healthier Places case study and image database: “Pulse is a case
study and image database which assists clients and design teams in
Scotland to share their successes and explore possibilities for new
healthcare environments.”
The Center for the Advancement of Health
www.cfah.org
The Center for the Advancement of Health translates to the public
the latest evidence-based research on health, health care, prevention
and chronic disease management, with an emphasis on how social,
behavioral and economic factors affect illness and well-being.
Centers for Disease Control Healthy Places
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces/
A really great resource for broader issues of the interaction between the built environment and public health. Great site.
According to the World Health Organization, health is a state of
complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the
absence of infirmity. A healthy community as described by the U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2010
report is one that continuously creates and improves both its physical
and social environments, helping people to support one another in
aspects of daily life and to develop to their fullest potential. Healthy
places are those designed and built to improve the quality of life for
all people who live, work, worship, learn, and play within their
borders — where every person is free to make choices amid a variety of
healthy, available, accessible, and affordable options.
The Center for Health Design
www.healthdesign.org
A good source for information on architectural as well as landscape
healthcare design. They publish an excellent journal called Health Environment Research Design (HERD).
The Center for Resilient Cities
www.resilientcities.org
Center for Resilient Cities works with citizens, nonprofits, and
government partners to create healthy, high quality environments.
Together, we improve and protect the natural environment, human health,
and local economy.
Centre for Sustainable Healthcare – Outer Space
www.greenerhealthcare.org/outer-space
Outer Space is a project conceived by The Centre for Sustainable Healthcare.
For the past three years CSH has been developing the NHS Forest, a
project aimed at improving the health of patients, staff and near by
communities through increasing access to green space on or near to NHS
land and promoting and supporting the planting of more trees on
healthcare sites across the country…Each site is different and will
have different opportunities but the unifying theme is the increased
understanding of how access to green spaces and natural settings
benefits health and wellbeing.
The Children & Nature Network
www.childrenandnature.org
The vision and mission of the Children & Nature Network is to
give every child in every community a wide range of opportunities to
experience nature directly, reconnecting our children with nature’s joys
and lessons, its profound physical and mental bounty.
Design for Health
www.designforhealth.net
Design for Health (DFH) is a collaborative project between the
University of Minnesota, Cornell University, and the University of
Colorado that serves to bridge the gap between the emerging research
base on community design and healthy living and the everyday realities
of local government planning. Design for Health (DFH) focuses on how
planners and other related occupations can play a role in changing the
built environment in ways that may influence human health.
Earth Spirit Heal
www.earthspiritheal.com
Website of Sally Schauman, landscape architect and professor at Duke University.
An eclectic mix of information, poetry, images, and musings.
Ecopsychology UK
www.ecopsychology.org.uk
They have a social networking group that you can join to connect with other like-minded people.
The newsletters Great Turning Times (www.greatturningtimes.org) is written by one of the UK members and Ecotherapy Heals (www.ecotherapyheals.com) by a member in the USA.
Ecopsychology is an emerging discipline / art form /
practice, making bridges between professions, between ways of thinking,
between head, heart and hands…We look for change in the way we humans
(especially, but not only, in the West) have come to see ourselves in
relation to the rest of life. In particular, we seek a re-visioning of
the divide we’ve put between our own species, other species and
everything that is not human, or deemed not ‘useful’ to humans.
According to Howard Clinebell, who wrote a 1996 book on the topic, “ecotherapy”
refers to healing and growth nurtured by healthy interaction with the
earth. He also called it “green therapy” and “earth-centered therapy.”
Although Clinebell preferred the term “ecotherapy,” which includes work
with the body, to “ecopsychology,” the study of our psychological
relations with the rest of nature, it is clear that ecopsychology
provides a solid theoretical, cultural, and critical foundation for
ecotherapeutic practice. For this reason we regard ecotherapy as applied
ecopsychology.
The Eden Alternative
www.edenalt.org
It can be different! We’re dedicated to eliminating the plagues of loneliness, helplessness, and boredom of elders.
The Eden Alternative is an international not-for-profit organization
dedicated to transforming care environments into habitats for human
beings that promote quality of life for all involved. Based on the core
belief that aging should be a continued stage of development and growth,
rather than a period of decline. It is a powerful tool for inspiring
well-being for Elders and those who collaborate with them as Care
Partners.
Environmental Design Research Association (EDRA)
www.edra.org
An international, interdisciplinary organization founded in 1968 by
design professionals, social scientists, students, educators, and
facility managers. The purpose of edra is the advancement and
dissemination of environmental design research, thereby improving
understanding of the interrelationships between people, their built and
natural surroundings, and helping to create environments responsive to
human needs.
The “Ask EDRA” section is a great resource for people with specific questions.
The Foundation for Art & Healing
www.artandhealing.org
The mission of the Foundation is to use its position as a “bridge”
to create and expand general awareness about art and healing, to bring
forward through research and related explorations critical knowledge
about art and healing and the relationship between them, and to help
make this knowledge available at the individual and community level.
Garden Partners
www.gardenpartners.org
Garden Partners provides on-going resources and support to sustain
gardening programs for elders, at-risk children, and veterans.
Partnering with Garden Partners ensures your program will be
comprehensive, sustainable, and supported by the community. The hands-on
process of caring for a garden — no matter how small — helps people
reclaim their joy of life.
Gardens and People / Accessible Gardens
www.gardensandpeople.co.uk
Gardens and People is a website with all kinds of articles and
information on gardens’ history, garden design, art, plants and
people…This website has an emphasis on people: it is about projects
involving people with gardens. Updates are done bi-monthly. Some
articles remain on the website permanently and others are moved to the
archive after six months.
Their sister website, Accessible Gardens (www.accessiblegardens.org.uk) will be live in April.
Green Guide for Health Care
www.gghc.org
Green Guide for Health Care provides the healthcare sector with a
voluntary, self-certifying metric toolkit of best practices that
designers, owners, and operators can use to guide and evaluate their
progress towards high performance healing environments.
Hiking Research
www.hikingresearch.wordpress.com
Exploring the latest research on the restorative power of nature.
Dr. Mark Ellison’s website and blog is an excellent resource.
Hope in Bloom
www.hopeinbloom.org
Roberta Dehman Hershon, Founder and Director
Hope in Bloom is a non-profit organization that provides gardens
free of charge at the homes of women and men who are undergoing
treatment for breast cancer (yes, men get it, too). They are currently
focusing on gardens in Massachusetts only, but hope to expand to other
states in the future.
“Hope in Blooom gardens offer people a beautiful, tranquil place to
sit, reflect and escape from the world of doctors, hospitals and
sickness. We create life-affirming indoor or outdoor gardens (container,
patio or in-ground) for any breast cancer patient who requests one
while in active treatment (the garden may be planted after treatment is
over, but must be requested during treatment). All have symbols of life
including color, texture, fragrance and sound incorporated into their
design. Each garden is tailored to the recipient’s residential situation
and lifestyle.”
Human Flower Project
www.humanflowerproject.com
The Human Flower Project is an international newsgroup, photo album
and discussion of humankind’s relationship with the floral world. We
report on art, medicine, society, history, politics, religion, and
commerce. Written and photographic submissions are welcome.
Human Issues in Horticulture (HIH)
An International People-Plant Interaction Resource Center
www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/hiih
Dr. Candice Shoemaker, Chair, and Dr. Andy Kaufman, Director
HIH looks at the influences of plants on
people in all aspects of their lives. The focus is beyond the obvious
environmental benefits that plants provide such as replenishing oxygen
supply, preventing soil erosion, cooling neighborhoods and filtering
dust to mention a few, but how plants affect people in social and
aesthetic dimensions…HIH is to facilitate the mission of the People Plant Council (PPC),
an international group of various individuals and professions, which is
to document and communicate the effect that plants have on human
well-being and improved life-quality.
InformeDesign: Where Research Informs Design
www.informedesign.umn.edu
Excellent research and communication tool for designers. Research Summaries are added weekly.
Institute for Human Centered Design (IHCD)
www.adaptenv.org
Founded in 1978 as Adaptive Environments, the Institute for Human
Centered Design (IHCD), as it is now known, is an international non-
profit, NGO educational organization located in Boston, whose mission
centers upon “advancing the role of design in expanding opportunity and
enhancing experience for people of all ages and abilities through
excellence in design. IHCD’s work balances expertise in legally required
accessibility with promotion of best practices in human-centered or
universal design.”
Many thanks to Amy Wagenfeld for this description.
Institute for Patient-Centered Design
www.patientcentereddesign.org
The Institute was founded by Patients and Design Professionals with
the purpose of giving patients a voice in the development of the healing
environment. Healthcare providers, medical staff, and design teams
spend countless hours defining the requirements of a healthcare
facility. Although these are key individuals to develop a successful
project, the end users – patients are often excluded from this process.
International Academy for Design & Health
www.designandhealth.com
The vision of the International Academy for Design & Health is
to develop and disseminate knowledge within international communities
through the promotion and advocacy of high quality ‘research-based’
design and professional practice in the development of physical
environments and technologies that improve human health and wellbeing.
International Society of Nature and Forest Medicine (INFOM)
www.infom.org
A really excellent resource on forest medicine and related topics.
The purpose of the International Society of Nature and Forest
Medicine is to promote research on nature and forest medicine including
the effects of forest and nature environments on human health in the
global vision around the world. The International Society of Nature and
Forest Medicine will collaborate with the International Union of Forest
Research Organization (IUFRO), and other related academic societies to
carry out the study of forest and nature medicine, and the collection
and editing of documents on the topic of forests and human health.
INFOM has been a strong supporter of the progress and development of
research involving nature and forest medicine, a field which has
advanced in recent years with the development of medical equipment
related to natural and life sciences. INFOM works for the advancement
of nature medicine as well as contributing to health, welfare, and
integrated medical care. In addition, INFOM is a society that aims to
generate global influence through international cooperation.
International Council on Active Aging
http://www.icaa.cc/
ICAA connects a community of like-minded organizations and
professionals who share the goals of changing society’s perceptions of
aging and improving the quality of life for aging Baby Boomers and
older adults within the seven dimensions of wellness (emotional,
vocational, physical, spiritual, intellectual, social, environmental).
The council supports these professionals with education, information,
resources and tools so they can achieve optimal success.
Landscape and Human Health Laboratory
http://lhhl.illinois.edu/about.htm
The Human Health and Landscape Laboratory is committed to using an
interdisciplinary approach. Scientific questions do not fall neatly in
the realm of a single discipline, and the solutions to the problems
explored at the Human Health and Landscape Laboratory must satisfy the
constraints of both human nature and the physical environment. As a
result, we attempt to involve researchers from different disciplines in
every research project.
Natural Learning Initiative
www.naturalearning.org
Creating environments for healthy human development and
a healthy biosphere for generations to come. The purpose of the
Natural Learning Initiative is to promote the importance of the natural
environment in the daily experience of all children, through
environmental design, action research, education, and dissemination of
information.
The National Academy of Environmental Design
www.naedonline.org
The National Academy of Environmental Design is being established by
a coalition of education and professional organizations focused on the
built environment. The academy, which is proposed to be housed within
the the existing National Academies, would share their mission of
addressing critical national issues and providing advice to the federal
government and the public.
Open Space
www.openspace.eca.ac.uk
The research centre for inclusive access to outdoor environments.
In association with Landscape Architecture, Edinburgh College of Art
and the School of the Built Environment, Heriot-Watt University.
OPENspace is an international research centre contributing new evidence
on why inclusive access to the outdoors matters. A collaborative,
multi-disciplinary team based in Edinburgh, we bring together experts
in landscape architecture, environmental psychology, human geography,
forestry, quality of life measures and design for all ages and
abilities.
Open Spaces Sacred Places (formerly the TKF Foundation)www.openspacessacredplaces.org
Providing the opportunity for a deeper human experience by supporting
the creation of public greenspaces that offer a temporary place of
sanctuary, encourage reflection, provide solace, and engender peace…
Outdoor Afro
outdoorafro.com
“Where black people and nature meet.”
Outdoor Afro is a community that reconnects African-Americans with
natural spaces and one another through recreational activities such as
camping, hiking, biking, fishing, gardening, skiing — and more! Outdoor
Afro uses social media to create interest communities, events, and to
partner with regional and national organizations that support diverse
participation in the Great Outdoors.
Outdoors and Health Network – Forestry Commission UK
www.forestry.gov.uk/fr/INFD-7S6CR4
See especially the pages “Trees and woods for well-being and quality of life” – lots of great links and downloadable research studies.
The Powers of Place Initiative
www.powersofplace.com
We believe that places are alive. We suggest that when human beings
believe that, and act in ways that respect and value what places bring,
the partnership becomes a powerful force toward great good in the world.
We have established the Powers of Place Initiative to gather, organize
and make visible knowledge, people, organizations and places already
working in ways that demonstrate the power of the partnership and to
share what they know with others.
See also Bruce Janz’s searchable database of Research on Place and Space, www.pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~janzb/place/home.html.
Planetree
www.planetree.org
Planetree’s philosophy is based on a simple premise: care should
be organized first and foremost around the needs of patients. To
understand those needs Planetree turned to the source. Thousands of
focus groups—from bedside to boardroom—with patients, long-term care
residents, families and professional caregivers across the globe have
borne out their needs and desires for a more personalized, humanized and
demystified health care experience.
Research Design Connections
www.researchdesignconnections.com
An excellent source for people and place research, exploring “the
way physical environments can be designed to reduce stress, increase
creativity, improve health, and support people’s welfare.”
Information is presented, via the website and a quarterly print edition, in “straightforward prose, tables, and photos.”
Though a subscription is necessary to gain access to all information, the website offers a “free trial,” and Landscape Architecture Magazine publishes several of the articles every 2-4 months. ASLA members receive a 20% suscription discount.
Restorative Environments Network (iapsREN)
www.iaps-association.org/renThe Restorative Environments Network is an international
community of practitioners and researchers interested in how
restoration can be promoted and fostered by the environment. Born in
Rome in 2008, we operate under the auspices of the International
Association of People-Environment Studies (IAPS).
Four years later in Glasgow, iapsREN gathered new momentum, resulting
in our newly designed identity and community. Here you will find
information about contemporary work in restorative environments,
upcoming conferences and professional meetings, and researchers and
professionals interested in restorative environments.
SAGE – The Society for Advancement of Gerontological Environments
www.sagefederation.org
SAGE is a collaboration of like-minded individuals with the common
goal of improving physical environments for older adults. Since its
founding in 1994, SAGE Federation has successfully advocated improving
the built environment for older adults. Based upon a common desire for
change, the SAGE organization has evolved from a few volunteers into a
multi-state organization with hundreds of members. SAGE has an active
National Federation Advisory Council and local chapters in several
states.
The Sensory Trust
www.sensorytrust.org.uk
Creating inclusive environments. If you’re interested in how places
can be made more accessible and more enjoyable for everyone this is the
place to find ideas, information and examples of what good practice
looks like. We cover inclusive community consultations, diversity
awareness training, site reviews, and ways of strengthening social
sustainability input into your building and landscape plans. You can
also follow the latest developments in our projects and download useful
information on creating accessible spaces.
Sustainable Sites Initiative (SITES)
www.sustainablesites.org
The Sustainable Sites Initiative™ (SITES™) is an interdisciplinary
effort by the American Society of Landscape Architects, the Lady Bird
Johnson Wildflower Center at The University of Texas at Austin and the
United States Botanic Garden to create voluntary national guidelines
and performance benchmarks for sustainable land design, construction
and maintenance practices. One of the five credits is Human Health and Well-being.
SULIS – Sustainable Urban Landscape Information Series
www.sustland.umn.edu/design/healinggardens.html
University of Minnesota
Information-packed page on healing gardens, including a nice
definition; notes on general design and design for specific uses; many
useful links and references.
Thrive
www.thrive.org.uk
“Using gardening to change lives.”
Thrive is a small national charity, founded in 1978, that uses gardening
to change the lives of disabled people. Our activities are varied but
focus on championing the benefits of gardening to individuals and
organizations, as well as teaching techniques and practical applications
so that anyone with a disability can take part and enjoy gardening. A
research programme underpins Thrive’s work to provide evidence and
improve understanding. Gardening can help individuals accomplish many
things. It can help rebuild a person’s strength after an accident or
illness, and can provide a purposeful activity for someone coping with a
difficult period in their life.
Trellis
www.trellisscotland.org.uk
“Supporting health through horticulture.”
Trellis (The Scottish Therapeutic Gardening network) is the national Scottish charity that supports, promotes, and develops the use of
horticulture to improve health, well-being and life opportunities for
all. Trellis represents over 170 projects across Scotland that use
gardening and associated activities to improve the physical, social
and emotional health of individuals and communities. Trellis brings
people from projects together at their annual conference in March and
holds regular networking meetings throughout the country to share good
practice and inpiration and also run training in a range of topics for
network members. Trellis is also developing the research base in
therapeutic horticulture. The organization was pivotal to creating a
doctorate in therapeutic horticulture at the University of Stirling.
Urban Ecology
www.urbanecology.org
Vibrant neighborhoods are the building blocks of healthy cities and
thriving regions. Urban Ecology uses urban design, land use planning,
and policy reform to help communities plan and build neighborhoods that
are ecologically healthy, socially just, and economically fair.