Conferences Archives | NeuroLandscape

I in-person NeuroLandscape Workshop | Korthi-Greece | 7-9 May 2022

Posted on 14 May 20229 June 2022 by Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo

The first, in-person scientific meeting of NeuroLandscape Team, titled "Natural and Cultural Heritage for Healthier and More Sustainable Urban Realms" took place among beautiful landscapes of the Greek island of Andros, hosted at the local Korthi Town Hall.

The program of a 3-day event included:

SATURDAY (7.05.2022)

Time	Presentation title - Speaker (Affiliation)	Language
11:15 - 11:30	Welcome & Opening with Coffee		GR/ENG
11:30 - 12:00	Contemplative Landscapes for Sustainable Tourism - Dr. Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo (NeuroLandscape)		ENG
12:00 - 12:30	Nature-Based Solutions for More Inclusive and Resilient Communities - Dr. Weronika Gasior (NeuroLandscape)		ENG
12:30 - 13:00	A.I. Tools for Cultural Heritage and Tourism - Dr. Theofrastos Mantadelis (NeuroLandscape)		ENG

SUNDAY (8.05.2022)

10:00 - 10:30	Impact in Post-pandemic Times: Neuroscience to the Rescue - Dr. Nicolas Escoffier (NeuroLandscape)	ENG
10:30 - 11:15	Gender Equality Plan as a necessary tool for Horizon Europe Applications - Dr. Weronika Gasior (NeuroLandscape)	ENG
11:15 - 11:30	Coffee Break
11:30 - 12:00	Korthian Artists 1850-1950 - Mr. Aristeidis Mantadelis (Civil Engineer)	GR/ENG
12:00 - 13:00	Can you see what you’re looking at?: Contemplative Landscape Features Recognition and Assessment - outdoor workshop - Dr. Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo (NeuroLandscape)	ENG

MONDAY (9.05.2022)

10:00 - 10:30	Dimetra - Predicting vulnerable goods disease before transportation - Dr. Theofrastos Mantadelis (NeuroLandscape)	ENG
10:30 - 11:15	Sustainable food systems in the EU legal framework - Ms. Aleksandra Zaborowska (Neurolandscape and EP)	ENG
11:15 - 11:30	Coffee Break
11:30 - 12:00	Climate Change and Water Management - case study of Khulna, Bangladesh - Ms. Nazwa Tahsin (NeuroLandscape)	ENG
12:00 - 12:30	VinhoLandscape - An Introduction to the Wines of Northern Portugal - Mr. Raul J.Guizzo (Symington Family Estates)	ENG
12:30 - 13:00	Wine Tasting - workshop - Mr. Raul J.Guizzo (Symington Family Estates)	ENG

Innovate 4 Cities 2021 | UN Habitat Conference

Posted on 16 October 202116 November 2021 by Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo

Tuesday 12 October at 15:45 CEST.

Dr. Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo has presented her insights at the session 5H: Green spaces for healthier cities, which was fully recorded and available online:

The Conference, co-hosted by #UNHabitat and #Mayors4Climate, brings together innovative research and science to help cities tackle #ClimateChange challenges. The global five-day virtual #I4C Conference covering #Science and #Innovation partnerships driving inclusive, resilient, and climate-neutral #cities, runned from 11 to 15 October 2021 and attracted over 1,000 city leaders, scientists, researchers, innovators, academics, youth, and business leaders and is open to everyone.

Circular Green Cities at the Floriade Expo 2021

Posted on 8 October 202116 November 2021 by Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo

Experts talks were a part of the Sustainability day at the FoodForum and gave a lot of fruit for thought on how we can work towards more #circular cities (Vojtech Vosecky), nature inclusive urban developments such as #pampus #Almere (Paola Huijding & Ingrid Zeegers) and on a street-level scale by #RewildingSteppingStones (Gideon Spanjar) and the value for human well-being by Dr Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo.

The event was moderated by Xander De Bruine
Special thanks to Mark Spetter Bart Harleman Dina El Filali Debbie Tijsterman

ASEAN Workshop on Biodiversity and its Linkages to Human Health

Posted on 27 September 20211 November 2021 by Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo

27 September 2021 at 2:30 PM Singapore

The connections between biodiversity, mental health and physical inactivity are particularly relevant in the context of shifting global burden of diseases in which non-communicable diseases are among the most rapidly rising challenge to global public health. Contact with nature may provide positive mental health benefits, as well as promote physical activity and contribute to overall well-being.

The ASEAN Workshop on Biodiversity and its Links to Human Health in an Urban Context and Capacity Building on Therapeutic Horticulture as an Example of the Links (referred to subsequently as the ASEAN Workshop) is one of the follow-up activities to the above 2018 regional workshop. The European Union, through the Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Protected Areas in ASEAN (BCAMP), is providing funding support to the ASEAN Workshop.

Due to the COVID-19, the ASEAN Workshop had to be postponed and implementation modalities divided into two parts:
(i) introductory webinar (as per current invitation and information note); and
(ii) in-person workshop (tentatively to be conducted in 2022, contingent on prevailing
COVID-19 situation)

Expected Outputs of the Introductory Webinar

1. Enable participants to become supporters and active advocates of green spaces and
therapeutic horticulture approaches in their respective cities in the ASEAN Region.
2. Generate ideas and recommendations on the promotion of green spaces and
therapeutic horticulture in the ASEAN Region.

2:30-2:40pm - Entry of participants, House rules ACB

2:40-2:45pm Opening remarks , Ms. Wendy Yap - Director/ International Biodiversity Conservation, NParks

Session 1: Role of Green Spaces on Health and Wellbeing
2.45-3.25pm

"Landscapes for mental wellbeing" - Dr. Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo - President and Co-founder of NeuroLandscape
"Case study: Prescribing physical activity in parks in Singapore for improved health and wellbeing" - Dr. Nicholas Alexander Petrunoff - Assistant Professor, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore
Question and Answer - Moderator: Mr. Elpidio Peria, - Technical Consultant, ACB

Session 2: Benefits of Therapeutic Horticulture, a Nature-based Programme
3.35-4.25pm

"Contextualising therapeutic horticulture for the tropics" - Ms. Tham Siang Yu Permaculture Designer
"Case study 1: Design and programming of therapeutic horticulture in a tropical nursing home" - Mr. Tham Xin Kai Design Director of Hortian Consultancy and Co-founder of
Hortherapeutics
" Case study 2: A research study on therapeutic horticulture on older adults in Singapore" - Ms. Angelia Sia Deputy Director of Research at the Centre for Urban Greenery and
Ecology, NParks
Question and Answer Moderator: Mr. Elpidio Peria, Technical Consultant, ACB

4:35 – 4.45 Synthesis and Closing - Ms. Clarissa C. Arida, Director, Programme Development and Implementation Unit, ACB

iHealthtech, National University of Singapore and National Parks Board

World Sustainability Forum Speech on Community-led Greenspace |13-15 September 2021

Posted on 13 September 20211 November 2021 by Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo

On Monday 13th September at 11:00 CEST Dr Diana Benjumea Meija presented her research on "The Spatial and Social Components of Community-led Green Spaces and its Contribution to the Health and Wellbeing of Low-income Communities" at the 9th World Sustainability Forum

In the last decade, there has been a surge in projects initiated by urban low-income residents in Medellin to revitalise urban green spaces through pro-environmental initiatives. Urban green spaces in these neighbourhoods are believed to be the repositories of diverse socially constructed and perceived meanings defined by the prosocial and self-reflective approaches of the communities to achieve alternative methods of governance over the territory.

This study was designed to investigate the underlying spatial and social components that emerge after the community-led green spaces are built. Two neighbourhoods in Medellin were investigated: Villatina (commune 8) and Eduardo Santos (commune 13). A quasi-longitudinal mix-methods study was conducted from 2016 until June 2021.
Ethnographic field work, interviews, focus groups and surveys were collected with residents of the two neighbourhoods. The results of this study suggest that there are underlying social and spatial components that emerge after the community-led green spaces are built and these are crucial to forge prosocial behaviours, activism, stewardship, and protection from crime.

Additionally, the active engagement of the communities in self-governed placemaking process creates an immediate sense of place defined by social factors such as ownership, learning, community coexistence, cooperation, sustainability, and ecology. These components contribute to the mental and physical health and wellbeing of low-income residents and creates unique social and environmental values.

Book of abstracts available here

EDRA52 Conference Presentation | Just Environments

Posted on 19 May 202127 October 2021 by Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo

Healthy Cities – Cities for Humans, Conscious Warsaw 2020 (VIDEO)

Posted on 26 October 202026 March 2021 by Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo

A speech presented during the "Conscious Warsaw - Sensing our City" webinar organized by the Center for Conscious Design, which took place on October 22, 2020, in Polish (English subtitles available in this video!).

Dr. Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo presented a new concept of designing mentally healthy cities based on contact with salutogenic natural landscapes (Contemplative Landscapes) and introduced the scientific background and activities of her NGO.

The entire webinar is available on https://theccd.org/domain/conscious-warsaw/

Centre for Conscious Design: www.theccd.org

Designing & Using School Grounds to Support Mental Health (Video Available!)

Posted on 26 June 202026 March 2021 by Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo

The video from the webinar is already available on! The webinar organized by the International School Grounds Alliance and the Children &Nature Network on how school grounds can be designed and used to support took place on June 23rd 2020, and featured research and design insights on how to design mentally healthy outdoor spaces for children.

Everyone interested in design for children will find a lot of inspiration in this video, in other words it's a must-see! We are very proud and grateful that NeuroLandscape could be a part of this insightful panel!

The program featured:

an introduction to the ISGA activity by Kerry Logan;
showcasing international best-practice examples, by Kathrin Schmiele;
research and design lessons from neuroscience by Dr Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo;
strategies for the design of schoolyards for students Claire Latané.

Better Future for Healthy Aging Conference (BFHA 2020) _FREE ONLINE REGISTRATION!

Posted on 10 May 202026 March 2021 by Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo

The mission of the Conference is to stimulate research, implementation and scaling up innovations to manage health and wellbeing of the ageing population. BFHA 2020 is a scientific conference that will enable discussion on the transformation of health and care services into more digitilized, long-term, integrated and personalized care models while promoting innovative ecosystems in order to deliver a better quality of life among the elderly.

In line with this mission, the Conference is to address growing demand caused by the global trends of population ageing and the expansion of chronic diseases by focusing on potentials large-scale implementation of innovations to foster functional ability and wellbeing of older people.

The objectives:

* addressing issues of ageing of biological systems through the topics of regenerative medicine, neuroscience, clinical medicine and other fields of medicine with the emphasis on personalized and integrated medicine;

* showcasing the impact of smart technologies for age-friendly ecosystems by providing a discussion on scaling-up innovations and solutions for age-friendly environments;

* analysing the issues of ageing and healthcare system sustainability at various levels (e.g. institutional, regional, state, EU level).

Outputs:
During the Conference, the participants will have a special section within the programme that will be transferred into the Recommendations. The Recommendations will be developed into the final Conference outcome – the Policy Paper which will be drafted after the Conference. The aim of this working paper is to develop forward-looking valuation pathways and impact approaches and dimensions of ageing research for transformative, mission-oriented research and innovation agendas, which can be taken up in the formulation of ageing services. The Conference and its outputs, including the Policy Paper are aimed at stakeholders, policymakers, the scientific community and healthcare providers.

The Conference will broaden the narrow focus on scientific impact measurement of ageing and healthcare system sustainability research, towards the aforementioned impact dimensions to which the BFHA 2020 Conference can make a fair contribution.

NeuroLandscape Delegate:
Dr. Agnieszka Olszewska Guizzo, President of NeuroLandscape is one of the invited speakers, and will give her speech titled “Green and Healthy Cities – Environmental exposures and Urban Design for Healthy Longevity” on 4th June within a session “Modern Urban Planning in the Service of Healthy Ageing”. The detailed event program is available here.

The registration is open for the general public and free of charge and opened until 26th May.
For more information visit https://bfha2020.hr/

We look forward to seeing you in June 2020!

Edit: The complete presentation is available on our youtube channel:

Conference organizer: University of Zagreb School of Medicine

Co-organizers: Ministry of Science, Education and Sports (Croatia), School of Medicine, University of Rijeka, University of Split School of Medicine and Josip-Juraj-Strossmayer-Universität Osijek Faculty of Medicine, as well as other faculties of the University of Zagreb – the Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Computing, Faculty of Economics and Business and Faculty of Croatian Studies; Ministry of Health, Ministry for Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy and the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs of the Republic of Croatia.

Connecting Social and Urban Studies with Health and Well-being of Communities – Speech at the National University of Colombia in Manizales

Posted on 12 February 202026 March 2021 by Diana

On January 29th 2020 NeuroLandscape’s Board Member Dr. Diana Benjumea was invited to give a talk in the Universidad Nacional de Colombia to the staff and students of the Department of Architecture and Built Environment in the city of Manizales.

The talk aimed to share the multidisciplinary work that is conducted in NeuroLandscape with special attention to the new program Nature Connection and Mental Health of the Communities launched last year.

The information included some of the preliminary study results obtained from the two main international research clusters in Medellin (Colombia) and Dhaka (Bangladesh). The presentation discussed the social and scientific research approaches that NeuroLandscape is leading in order to understand the contribution of nature in the mental health of low-income communities with the aim of informing new urban design models.

Staff from the Universidad de Caldas Manizales and the National Training Service (SENA) joined in the discussion of creating possible cooperation between institutions and NeuroLanscape in order to consolidate future social and scientific projects in the city of Manizales that could contribute to the health and well-being of the communities in this city.

With combined efforts from the educational institutions and the scientific background of Neurolandscape, future projects are envisioned, in which a greater network of opportunities that include new research projects and transfer skills education programs could be established with the aim of benefiting low-income community residents.