Innovative Approaches to Research Excellence in Landscape and Health
South Hall Conference Suite, Pollock Halls, University of Edinburgh, 19-21 September 2007
Background
Edinburgh 19-21 September 2007
The focus of this year's Open Space: People Space 2 Conference has been on excellent and innovative methods to research the links between outdoor environments and health so as to better inform policy and practice relating to everyday places in the urban and rural environment. It brought together experts in researching people's engagement with the landscape with experts in health and the environment. A number of international leaders in the field were invited and the format of the conference gave delegates good opportunities to interact with the key speakers and time to debate emerging issues in models and approaches, both theoretical and practical.
Sub-themes included:
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Affordances in the landscape
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Spatial structure, landscape design and landscape use
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Theories of place and engagement with place
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Environmental determinants of health
Key speakers:
The conference was led by leading researchers in landscape, environment and health.
Brian Little, McGill and Carleton Universities, psychologist, pioneer of Personal Projects Analysis with his students at Oxford, Carleton and Harvard Universities, to study people and their context.
Harry Heft, Denison University, environmental psychologist with expertise in the development of Gibson's theory of affordances, behaviour settings, and environment-behaviour research.
Julienne Hanson, the Bartlett, University College London, architect, co-originator of Space Syntax analytic techniques and research methodologies to explore spatial aspects of the environment.
Terry Hartig, Uppsala University, applied psychologist, leading researcher on environments and natural settings for stress relief and restoration.
Sjerp de Vries, Alterra Green World Research, sociologist, pioneer in use of GIS to research the relationship between green space and health.
Patrik Grahn, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Alnarp, landscape architect, leading researcher on links between landscape and health.
Nilda Cosco, North Carolina State University, educational psychologist, expert on play in early childhood development and the impact of outdoor environments on health outcomes for children.
Robin Moore, North Carolina State University, architect and urban planner, authority on the design of children's play and learning environments, user needs research, and participatory public open space design.
Fiona Bull, British Heart Foundation Centre, University of Loughborough, sport scientist and public health expert, leading researcher on built and natural environment influences on physical activity.
Catharine Ward Thompson, OPENspace research centre at Edinburgh College of Art, landscape architect, leading researcher using personal construct theory to explore access to the environment for different excluded groups.
Peter Aspinall, OPENspace research centre at Heriot-Watt University, psychologist, innovator in methods to relate personal and environmental factors to quality of life.
Sponsorship:
The Conference was sponsored by the Scottish Executive, the Forestry Commission, the British Academy and Edinburgh College of Art.
