NeuroLandscape featured in BBC “My Perfect City” Series episode which was released on: 30 Dec 2020 New episode of the BBC World Service “My perfect city” features Dr Agnieszka Olszewska-Guizzo among other experts. They discuss Singapore as a city which attempts to improve residents’ mental wellbeing through urban design. Generally, people in cities are likely Read More
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) Read More
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 Read More
I have recently found a great piece of literature about designing urban gardens for well-being. “Restorative commons: Creating health and well-being through urban landscapes” by Campbell, Lindsay; Wiesen, Anne published in 2009 under USDA – Forest Service. Here is the link to the online resource – available free pdf version! What specifically caught my attention there Read More
Different initiatives undertaken by the urban authorities can contribute to the improvement of urban dweller’s contact with nature and the nature exposure These include: Leaving unmowed areas in the urban green spaces, for developing a small ecosystems for flora & fauna, (urban meadows) Promoting the spontaneous habitat creation Leaving the fallen leaves on the ground Read More
Research has proven that time alone in outdoor nature is beneficial for our mental and physical health. One of the Contemplative Landscape characteristics is the “sense of solitude” that one can experience when immersed in the landscape. Yet, the urban high stress pace of life “enjoyed” by many across the globe makes finding such a Read More
Urban landscape surrounding most of us nowadays, offers more than just the face value that we see. Urban ecosystem services are presenting terrific potentials for the growing communities. Landscape design for health and well-being goes hand in hand with the design for fresh produce and urban farming opportunities. There is plenty evidence to show this dynamics. Read More
One of the core questions in our quest for making landscapes more contemplative have been identifying what actually makes a space contemplative or not. Having discussed the importance of long-distance views in an earlier post (click here), today, we turn to a characteristic under the label ‘landform’ in defining a contemplativeness of landscape. So what hides Read More
If you have ever wondered why movie characters always seem to be entrenched in deep thought while looking out far into the distance, this post is for you as it explains the science behind this magic of long-distance views.It all comes down to a category of contemplative features of landscapes we call ‘Layers of Landscape’. Read More