PIONEER INTERVIEW 51 Corey Keyes: ested in life, having purpose, contribution I worked with the Healthy Parks, Healthy and connection. It resonates with people People initiative by the National Park once they understand that’s what goes Service in its infancy and the Green Vets into flourishing. project. I’m extremely interested and, The pushback I receive is that critics personally, find my greatest peace and tend to think that flourishing signifies flourishing when I’m in nature. I think that we’re expecting too much of people. that is one of the key elements of our life When you look at my diagnosis criteria and somehow most urban parks and zoos of needing a minimum of 7 out of the 14 aren’t doing it in the modern city. I had to symptoms, no one is going to prescribe buy a house in the mountains to escape which ones you must have. In fact, re- and be in nature. I live two blocks from search shows that you don’t need to have the largest park in Atlanta, but that isn’t a specific combination. the same as in my cabin. I’m convinced My response is that flourishing doesn’t re- it’s not just the things that are in nature, quire much more than what most people but it’s something about how those things say they want out of life. are arranged that get us interested in and Tim Beatley: connecting with other forms of life. Are there particular things going on in Social well-being is all about connection. the world right now that you think are Flourishing is, first and foremost, about undermining flourishing? Are there par- when we feel at home and connected to ticular threats or things that you have the world around us. This is when we feel identified in your work that we ought to good and feeling connected to nature is be particularly worried about in the mod- one of the greatest ways of flourishing. ern world? Tim Beatley: Corey Keyes: What sorts of reactions do you get when One threat is that we’ve totally distorted you use the word flourishing? and shifted the meaning of time. Time has Corey Keyes: become a currency that stresses us out. It’s resonating a lot with people in part One thing I like about nature is how it because the other work that I’ve done has resets your sense of time. Research shows shown that it’s not enough just to feel that when you get people to think of happy. It’s not enough just to have high time as money than they are less likely to levels of emotional well-being. It needs volunteer or to help each other. to be a derivative of connection, purpose, Another threat is social inequality. We’re growth, and acceptance. not going to get anywhere with flourish- There is this kind of happiness exhaustion ing if we don’t deal with that. People who out there. There is this sense that it’s not are impoverished can benefit from nature, possible to feel good all the time, to feel but that alone will not do it. We need constant happiness or pleasure. That’s not more fairness and equality. even the point of life. It’s remaining inter-
52 Complete Model of Mental Health conceptualized by Corey Keyes. Tim Beatley: I think nature creates a certain humility I’m impressed that you’ve identified these that is lacking in the modern world. It different components that create flourish- triggers the idea that this is a pretty vast ing. It’s about relationships between peo- and amazing place and that I might be ple and it’s about trust. Of course, nature in control of some of the things around isn’t the only source for those things, but me, but the more I learn about the world we argue that it’s uniquely suited to bring around me the more I’m at peace. people together. For example, parks have that ability and then there is evidence about being more generous in the pres- ence of nature, perhaps even being better human beings because of it. Where would nature connect to all the constituent parts of flourishing in your model? Would it fit in a particular place? Corey Keyes: Well, that’s an interesting question and I think my immediate reaction is that it fits in various ways in all those components.
PIONEER INTERVIEW 53 About Dr. Corey Keyes: Prevent, the Substance Abuse and Mental Dr. Corey Keyes is a Winship Distinguished Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), Research Professor of Sociology at Emory and the American Association of Colleges University in Atlanta, Georgia. His areas of and Universities. expertise include social psychology and mental health. The research centers he is affiliated with illuminate the “two contin- ua” model of health and illness, showing how the absence of mental illness does not translate into the presence of mental health, and revealing that the causes of true health are often distinct processes from those now understood as the risks for mental illness. This work is being applied to better under- standing resilience, prevention of mental illness, and informs the growing health- care approach called “Predictive Health,” which monitors the presence of positive physical and mental health and to develop and apply responses to correct early losses of it to maintain health and limit disease and illness. He has and continues to work on healthcare transformation and public mental health with governmental agencies in Canada, Northern Ireland, Australia, and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and References: Keyes, CLM (2002). The Mental Health Continuum: From Languishing to Flourishing in Life. Journal of Health and Social Research 43(June): 207-222. Retrieved from http://midus.wisc.edu/findings/pdfs/56.pdf. Keyes, CLM (2007). Promoting and protecting mental health as flourishing: A complementary strategy for im- proving national mental health. American Psychologist, 62(2):95–108. doi: 10.1037/0003-066X.62.2.95. Retrieved from http://www.midus.wisc.edu/findings/pdfs/380.pdf. Keyes, CLM. What is Flourishing [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_o70l3jvUQ. National Park Service. Health Parks, Healthy People. https://www.nps.gov/public_health/hp/hphp.htm. U.S. Green Building Council. Green Veterans Program. http://www.greenvets.org.
54 Biophilic Dimensions of Urban Biodiversity Julia Triman Biodiversity, while a lauded and impor- diversity was present, but that this did not tant goal in a biophilic city, is not always correspond with actual levels of biodi- neat or pretty. Researchers have been versity. Conversely, Qiu and colleagues working over the past several years to try (2013) discovered using visitor-employed to understand human perception of and photography in Helsingborg, Sweden that preference for various types and levels participants in their study were able to of biodiversity in cities, and connections discern greater levels of biodiversity, but between these perceptions and prefer- stated preferences did not relate positive- ences to other indicators, such as human ly to areas of higher biodiversity. well-being and urban ecological health Most recently, Gunnarsson and colleagues and connectivity. (2017) published a study exploring aes- Urban ecologists and environmental thetic perception of urban green space at planners underscore the importance of six field sites in Gothenburg, Sweden. The biodiversity for city life, both non-human researchers deployed a survey examining and human and are advancing new and whether participants found the sites “Nat- creative ways to plan for and manage it uralistic,”“Rich in species,”“Lush,” or “Varied.” (see, for example, the City Biodiversity The researchers concluded, through a Index). Empirical research, however, re- composite survey of aesthetic perception, veals mixed results in terms of human sound perception, and importance as- understanding of and preference for bi- signed to trees and plants for perception of odiverse urban landscapes. Dallimer and bird species that overall, perceived positive colleagues (2012) found through a series values of urban greenery (across the three of surveys in Sheffield, United Kingdom scales) were highest where measured bio- that psychological well-being increased diversity was highest. when people perceived that greater bio-
RESEARCH ROUNDUP 55 How much does it matter whether peo- current research on human perception of ple prefer biodiverse urban landscapes? and benefits from urban biodiversity; it is Nonhuman plants and animals might be an increasingly important issue in plan- just as entitled to urban space as humans, ning for nature in cities. but humans are the ones who make the planning and policy decisions. Perhaps Julia Triman rather than seeking palatability or pref- Julia Triman is a PhD student in the erence, planning goals might center Constructed Environment at the University around education and interpretation of biodiverse urban landscapes in ways that of Virginia School of Architecture. might intrigue or inspire critical thinking. In a recent review of studies related to References perception of biodiversity in cities, Botzat Botzat, A., Fischer, L.K. and Kowarik, I. (2016). and colleagues (2016) identify four gaps Unexploited Opportunities in Understanding in present theoretical and methodological Liveable and Biodiverse Cities: A Review on Urban approaches that, if filled, might continue Biodiversity Perception and Valuation.” Global to deepen and richen the applicability Environmental Change 39: 220–33. doi:10.1016/j. and interest of research results. These gloenvcha.2016.04.008. Retrieved from: http:// include expanding research beyond www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/ temperate climates, including informal S0959378016300528. greenspace along with designated forests Dallimer, M., Irvine, K.N., Skinner, A.M.J., Davies, and parks, including work at the species Z.G., Rouquette, J.R., Maltby, L.L., Warren, P.H., community or gene scales, and explicitly Armsworth, P.R. and Gaston, K.J. (2012). Biodiver- incorporating perceptions and views of sity and the Feel-Good Factor: Understanding people from diverse backgrounds and age Associations between Self-Reported Human groups. Well-Being and Species Richness. BioScience While research to date does not prove 62(1): 47–55. doi:10.1525/bio.2012.62.1.9. clear and unequivocal connections be- Retrieved from: https://academic.oup.com/ tween biodiversity and positive human bioscience/article/62/1/47/295411/Biodiversi- perception and outcomes for human ty-and-the-Feel-Good-Factor. well-being, there are clearly promising Gunnarsson, B., Knez, I., Hedblom, M., and Sang, directions and some evidence suggest- Å. O. (2017). Effects of Biodiversity and Environ- ing that people can derive value from ment-Related Attitude on Perception of Urban increased biodiversity in cities. As urban Green Space. Urban Ecosystems 20: 37. doi:10.1007/ planning efforts continue to adapt to s11252-016-0581-x. Retrieved from: http://link. changing urban conditions, both towards springer.com/article/10.1007/s11252-016-0581-x. population increase and density and Local Action for Biodiversity- CITY BIODIVERSITY towards re-structuring and re-defining INDEX (CBI). Retrieved from: http://archive.iclei.org/ relationships between “natures” and index.php?id=12511. “cities,” biodiversity will be a considera- Qiu, L., Lindberg, S., and Nielsen, A.B. (2013). Is tion at both the local and site scale and Biodiversity Attractive?—On-Site Perception of the scales of city and region. The studies Recreational and Biodiversity Values in Urban Green mentioned here are only a fraction of the Space. Landscape and Urban Planning 119: 136–46. doi:10.1016/j.landurbplan.2013.07.007. Retrieved from: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti- cle/pii/S0169204613001357.
56 DC Park Rx: Connecting Patients to Parks and Creating the Next Generation of Environmental Activists Robert Zarr, M.D., MPH As a public health-minded primary care with one or more opportunities for phys- pediatrician, I now regularly prescribe ical activity is associated with lower risk parks to my patients and their families. of Type 2 diabetes. When adjusting for so- I have come to the conclusion that we ciodemographic factors, living near green must have a varied approach to both pre- space reduces our overall mortality. venting and treating chronic disease, as These are enough reasons to place a well as promoting wellness. high level of significance and importance Looking at the US population from a on helping patients spend more time in birds-eye view, we see millions of Ameri- parks. cans suffering from serious mental illness This is why, 6 years ago, I set out to es- (depression, anxiety, ADHD, etc.), diabetes, tablish DC Park Rx, a community health obesity, high blood pressure, and unhappi- initiative whose mission is to prescribe ness. We know that, on average, Americans parks to prevent and treat chronic disease spend only 7% of their time outdoors. and to promote wellness. While indoors, we are more likely to be DCParkRx.org is now a regional initiative sedentary, sitting in front of a handheld that provides healthcare professionals in device, often eating. In contrast, spending their respective organizations with the time outdoors in natural settings, we are tools they need to fully integrate the park less likely to experience anxiety, rumina- prescription not only within the electronic tion, or negative affect. Just being in green health record, but more importantly with- space is restorative and boosts attention. in our daily routine of providing health Shinrin-yoku or “forest bathing”, as it is care to our patients. called in Japan, reduces cortisol level and blood pressure. Living in a neighborhood
GUEST PERSPECTIVE 57 Just as doctors and other healthcare pro- achieving our common goals of providing fessionals prescribe medicines, write re- high-quality healthcare while promot- ferrals to specialists, and order diagnostic ing a culture of prevention and wellness. tests, we can just as easily prescribe parks, DCParkRx.org is a win-win for park agen- when provided the right tool. We have cies and healthcare provider organiza- been prescribing parks since July 1, 2013. tions alike. Our catchment area now includes Wash- But perhaps the biggest winner is the ington DC, as well as parts of Maryland, environment. Whether we realize it or not, with a current total patient population our lives are dependent on the health of reach of nearly 200,000. We now have the environment. Without a healthy envi- nearly 300 healthcare professionals with ronment, we perish. We all need clean air ready access to prescribe parks within and water, as well as natural undisturbed their electronic health record. areas to restore our attention and to bring DCParkRx.org is quickly expanding happiness and meaning to our lives. By throughout the Northeast region, as well connecting millions more people with as nationally, currently expanding into parks and other outdoor areas, we are re- Connecticut, Virginia, and West Virginia. kindling the connection between humans DCParkRx.org is popular among health- and Nature. By spending more time in Na- care professionals because it is relevant ture we develop a sense of belonging to to our work, and easy to use. DCParkRx.org the flora and fauna, and we begin to place is popular among park agencies because value to our experience and place. Our we share common goals: renewed sense of connection to Nature inspires and motivates us to advocate for 1. Increasing park utilization, and a most essential human right, access to 2. Decreasing the burden of chronic green space. disease in our communities. Rock Creek Park Trail By partnering closely with many local Photo Credit: TrailVoice, Flickr park agencies and the National Park Service, DCParkRx.org has developed a scalable method to import essential park attributes (longitude/latitude, accessibility, activities allowed, seating, water features, etc.) into a searchable park database, which is easy for healthcare profession- als to use. By partnering with healthcare provider organizations, including com- munity health centers, hospital systems, and group clinical practices, DCParkRx.org is demonstrating the value of Park Rx in
58 View of Downtown San Francisco from Twin Peaks Photo Credit: Tim Beatley
PARTNER CITY NEWS 59 SINGAPORE DELEGATION VISITS SAN FRANCISCO Ella Wise There are approximately 18,000 people one of the first members of the Biophilic per square mile in San Francisco and Cities Network. The island city-state’s 20,000 people per square mile in Singa- Skyrise Greenery Incentive Scheme, in pore. Both are internationally-recognized which the National Parks Board will fund examples of compact cities that are 50 percent of installation costs of green “green” with climate-friendly design and roofs, rooftop gardens, and green walls, resource-efficient policies, but are they exemplifies the possibilities of biophilic “green” with nature? How does San Fran- policies. cisco share its 7- by 7-mile square grid The Executive Program’s week began at with the natural world? How has Singa- Carnegie Mellon University and ended pore shifted from a “Garden City” to a “City with a two-day field trip to the San Fran- in a Garden”? cisco Bay area. The week was mostly fo- During the week of May 9, 2016, Khee Poh cused on biophilic design at the building Lam, the Dean of the School of Design scale, but for the last day’s events, Khee and Environment at the National Univer- Poh Lam invited Scott Edmondson of the sity of Singapore, and members of the San Francisco Planning Department— Carnegie Mellon University–Building and another early member of the Biophilic Construction Authority Executive Pro- Cities Network—to add the “city” scale gram—a partnership aimed at supporting to the week’s events. Edmondson along sustainability leaders in Singapore—visit- with Kirstin Weeks of Arup, led the Exec- ed the U.S. from Singapore for a one-week utive Program on a tour of some of the tour to study biophilic design and big greenery impressively integrated into San data analytics. Francisco’s dense Financial District and Singapore is already an international then hosted a series of presentations on leader in urban sustainability and was current biophilic strategies and research in the city.
60 purpose public spaces. Peter Brastow, the City’s Biodiversity Coordinator, discussed The Financial District tour began at the the thriving wildness all around us—there Nature Conservancy’s San Francisco head- are 56 species of native bees in one of quarters, featuring a remarkable example the parks within the city! of occupant-centric biophilic design that Rosey Jencks discussed the San Francisco has resulted in approximately $270,000 Public Utilities Commission’s low-impact worth of savings per year from increased design program, which utilizes biophilic employee productivity! The tour contin- rain harvesting and constructed wetlands ued to the garage roof-top garden of 100 to reduce stormwater load—an important First Street, which is chock-full of im- cause as the City’s stormwater system is pressive water features. Then, the group combined with the City’s sewer system visited the lobby of Foundry Square III and can overflow into the streets in flood featuring two adjoining living walls and events. Lastly, Alexej Goehring from Arup two floor-to-ceiling glass walls, allowing presented findings from their study of the passersby to gaze through to the 12,500 potential benefits of vertical green walls plants inhabiting the space. in different cities around the globe to reduce urban heat island effect. After the tour, Timothy Beatley of the All in all, this one-day visit was just a University of Virginia called in remotely snapshot of the rich array of strategies and; kicked off the series of presentations and new ideas that Singapore and San with an introduction on biophilia and the Francisco, both members of the Biophilic Biophilic Cities Network. David Winslow Cities Network, have to share with each of the Planning Department then pre- other and cities around the world on inte- sented on the City’s Living Alleys Program, grating nature and cities. which empowers community members to “humanize” alley street space in their neighborhoods with community-led design, financing, and building of multi- Courtyard at Salesforce Building, Photo Credit: Scott Edmondson
PARTNER CITY NEWS 61 Green rooftop of the garage at 100 First Street Photo Credit: Scott Edmondson Living walls in the lobby of Foundry Square III in San Francisco Photo Credit: Scott Edmondson References: National Parks Board. Skyrise Greenery. Singapore. https://www.nparks.gov.sg/skyrisegreenery. Planning Department. Market Octavia Living Alleys Program. City and County of San Francisco, CA. Retrieved from http://sf-planning.org/market-octavia-living-alleys-program.ion
6602 View of Wellington from City Peak Photo Credit: Tim Beatley
PARTNER CITY NEWS 63 WELLINGTON UPDATE Amber Bill and Tim Park Wellington is a City of hills, harbor and over the next 10 years. We have also bush. The City has an impressive network developed new measures drawn from the of reserves within close proximity to both internationally recognized City Biodiversi- the Central Business District (CBD) and ty Index. surrounding suburbs, has been carrying Work has started on the Code of Practice out intensive biodiversity restoration and which will enable implementation of our protection work for more than a decade, Water Sensitive Urban Design Guide, and has a massive and ever increasing through our District Plan, which governs number of citizen volunteers who plant, rules for the development of the City. control pests, build tracks and trails, and Community involvement in the City’s advocate for the City’s nature. As such, the biodiversity continues to expand for us, City is proud to be recognized as a Bio- and our vision of a ‘pest free’Wellington philic City. continues to become more realistic. We If we consider biophilic urbanism as a have recently employed a new biosecurity journey, not an end point, then it is impor- liaison officer whose role is to support tant as a City that we continue to explore and train community groups participat- new initiatives to grow our natural capital ing in pest animal control. We have also and citizen engagement. Our recent work focused on bringing more biodiversity en- in this space includes policy, advocacy and gagement initiatives right into the centre research. of the CBD - this kicked off last year with With regard to policy, in 2015 we pre- a popup forest during Parks Week (we also pared a new Biodiversity Strategy: Our gave away free locally eco-sourced plants) Natural Capital. This includes prioritized and has been followed by other initiatives actions around protection, restoration, such as a ‘box of birds’ container in town connecting and mainstreaming biodi- and community garden planters. versity, and research to inform our work
64 Wellington Harbour Inlet Photo Credit: Tim Beatley We ran #Peakbragging (a play on the “Kaka cam.” And a new research group Scottish ‘Peak Bagging’) to encourage to better understand Kaka behaviour in people into our Open Spaces, which was the City has been established, facilitated really popular, and our GIS team have by our Urban Ecology team. We have also been busy building storymaps to provide again hosted one of the largest national better online story telling about Welling- citizen science projects - the Great Kereru ton’s parks. Count in partnership with WWF-NZ. Living Walls are now becoming a more regular feature of our Urban Design projects and we continue to have suc- cesses with nationally threatened bird species, initially released into Zealandia, our fenced ecosanctuary, spilling out and breeding in reserves throughout the City. We brought one of these into peo- ple’s homes this nesting season with the
PARTNER CITY NEWS 65 References: Wellington City Council (2015). Our Natural Capital – Wellington’s Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan. Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://wellington.govt.nz/your-council/plans-policies-and-bylaws/policies/biodi- versity-strategy-and-action-plan. Wellington City Council. Water Sensitive Urban Design guide. Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved from http:// wellington.govt.nz/services/environment-and-waste/stormwater/water-sensitive-urban-design-guide. Wellington City Council (2015, March 2). Pop-up forest kicks off Parks Week. Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://wellington.govt.nz/your-council/news/2015/03/pop-up-forest-kicks-off-parks-week. Wellington City Council. Bond Street refresh and community garden. Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://wellington.govt.nz/your-council/projects/laneways-projects/bond-street. #Peakbragging. Retrieved from http://wcc.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=8c- 62f37aa4ea44ceb5aeb89997f9c089. Wellington City Council. Wellington’s Treasured Spaces. Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://wcc. maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=cc9b48a06b324b538bec40d1b221e48d&webmap=- da2656c8d7344d9c9e0e919f8f6334ef. Wellington City Council. Living Green Walls. Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://wellington.govt.nz/ your-council/projects/living-green--walls. Wellington City Council. Kaka. Wellington, New Zealand. Retrieved from http://wellington.govt.nz/services/envi- ronment-and-waste/environment/biodiversity/kaka. Great Kereru Count. http://greatkererucount.nz. Diver with the Seastar Photo Credit: Mark Coote
66 He Lifted the Binoculars to the Window A Poem Commissioned In honor of Stephen Kellert By Jamie K. Reaser Dr. Stephen R. Kellert was the Tweedy Ordway Professor Emeritus of Social Ecology and Senior Research Scholar at the Yale University School of Forestry and Environmental Studies.
DEDICATION 67 The warbler never strays from who he is, or where he is intended to be. Here, and then gone. There is a mystery to that for everyone but him. ˜ What can we do but delight in this life, this collection of moments that are always trying to get us to come home to our true nature–unique and collective. All around us there are clues to our humanity. We must remember how to read them. And, then, have the courage. Of this, I am certain: the path forward is marked by things that we cannot count. Maybe by things that we cannot name and will never touch. This is lovely. Notice though that we are touched. Touched by a longing so dangerous that we dare speak of it. Try. We have become stuck in a conversation between beauty and woundedness, a woundedness we have inherited and earned. How perfect. This is about a love of place, and place for love. We are given children to watch at play at the woodland edge, and along the shore, and amongst the pigeons in a city park. I know that it is there, and I believe that they can find it. ˜ The boy never strayed from who he was, or where he was intended to be. Here, and then gone. There is a mystery to that for everyone but him. © 2016/Jamie K. Reaser
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