Me, health and wellbeing, and the built environment.
Brighton Palace Pier at low tide
When I did my Geography degree, I was in a constant tug and pull between physical and human geography. I called myself a ‘hybrid geographer’, as I was interested in understanding how the world works and its physical processes, but I was also interested in how these affected humans and how human behaviour and the built environment affected the physical processes.
As I was doing a BSc course, I was urged to pick a physical topic for my dissertation. I chose Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS), as I had a fascination with flood risk management, and was motivated to contribute to the research due to the increased frequency and magnitude of storm events due to climate change.
But instead of researching how SuDS work from a regulating/stormwater management point of view, my literature review directed me to the human side of SuDS, and how when integrated into urban greenspaces they provide Cultural Ecosystem Services. The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, which I believe popularised this term back in 2003, defines these services as the “nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems”, such as recreation and aesthetics. Through this dissertation, I began to understand our human connection to nature - how it can be rehabilitative and create a sense of tranquillity (Ulrich, 1981; Kaplan, 1983), how access to greenspace can result in enhanced participation in physical activity (Bird, 2007), and how nature can contribute to informal and spontaneous interactions between neighbours and communities, aiding social cohesion (Bird, 2007; Kuo et al., 1998)*. All these amenity benefits can be offered through the delivery of SuDS, which is more than can be said for typical flood walls and defences. This had me hooked on the idea that how we design where we live can influence our health and wellbeing.
View of Brighton from Blakers Park
After my degree I went on to work across transport, sustainable furniture design and interior design. I found myself endlessly Googling and Pinterest-ing Biophilic Design ideas, a design philosophy that looks to connect humans back to nature through architecture and interior design. I looked for ways to integrate biophilic elements into my own home through presence of plants and natural materials. I wanted opportunities to connect with nature without leaving my home – which became especially useful when lockdown arrived. Much like lots of other people, lockdown gave me a chance to reflect on things – although I enjoyed interior design, it felt like too much of a luxury service and I wanted to have a greater positive impact through my work. So, I found myself doing a little post-lockdown side step into Urban Design.
Brighton Station Roof
Since working in this industry, I have advanced my understanding that health and wellbeing in the built environment goes beyond nature and greenspaces. How we design our streets, arrange our buildings and functions, create our movement networks, and design inclusive and accessible public spaces (the list goes on…), can all influence our health and wellbeing. I’m looking forward to exploring these themes in more depth in future blog posts.
“First we shape the cities — then they shape us.”
I hope you’ve enjoyed this little introduction to me and my background. I am interested in what you think about where you live, work and play – do you feel happy and healthy there? Is there anything you would change? Drop me a comment if you want to share your thoughts.
*These references have been pulled directly from my 2013 dissertation – there has been a lot more research on these topics since then!
Glossary
Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SuDS) – an alternative to hard infrastructure channelled water management systems. SuDS mimic natural drainage processes by attenuating water near the source to reduce surface water flood risk and filter water. They can also be integrated into urban areas/greenspaces.
Cultural Ecosystem Services – “the nonmaterial benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection, recreation, and aesthetic experiences” (Sarukhán and Whyte 2005).
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) – an assessment of the globe’s ecosystems and services (regulating, cultural, provisioning) between 2001 and 2005. Included actions to conserve and utilise the services sustainably.
Biophilic Design – a design philosophy based on our innate human connection to nature and incorporates nature and natural elements into architectural and interior design.
Urban Design – the design of towns and cities, streets and spaces. A multidisciplinary process that works across multiple scales from the street, site, neighbourhood or city scale.
References
Bird, W. (2007) Natural Thinking: Investigating the links between the Natural Environment, Biodiversity and Mental Health. Bedfordshire, U.K.: RSPB
Kaplan, R. (1983) The analysis of perception via preference: a strategy for studying how the environment is experienced. Landscape Planning. 12: 161-176
Kuo, F. E., Bacaioca, M. and Sullivan W. C. (1998b) Transforming Inner City Landscapes: Trees, Sense of Safety, and Preferences. Environment and Behavior. 1 (30): 28-59
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) (2003) Ecosystems and Human Well-Being: A Framework for Assessment. Washington, DC: Island Press
Sarukhán, J., and A. Whyte, editors. 2005. Ecosystems and human well-being: Synthesis (Millennium Ecosystem Assessment). Island Press, World Resources Institute, Washington, D.C., USA.
Ulrich, R. S. (1981) Natural versus urban sciences: some psycho-physiological effects. Environment and Behavior. 13: 523-556
