Professional Practice

Children: Well-Being

The universal biophilic response adults have to the natural environment is especially pronounced in children. They feel the connection to -- and disconnection from -- the natural world more acutely than adults do. With less and less outdoor, unstructured playtime, children are increasingly disconnected from the natural world. This disconnection leads to fewer children who engage with nature and more that suffer from mental and physical issues that accompany a sedentary lifestyle.

How Nature Helps

A published in Children¡¯s Environments found that the proximity of green space to a child¡¯s home had a major impact that the child¡¯s health and well-being. Children without access to green space suffer significant setbacks in social and motor development.

Spending time outside encourages children to play, explore, and learn. A published in the journal Environment and Behavior found that encouraging and supporting outdoor activities in children turns them into adults that continue the behavior of spending time outdoors. As with adults, spending time in nature instills our children with a positive sense of mental well-being and respect for the natural world. 

Research

"," Environment & Behavior, 2012 

¡°,¡± Forest Policy and Economics, 2009

¡±,¡± Behaviour Change, 2001

¡°,¡± Journal of Environmental Psychology, 2001

¡°,¡± Environment and Behavior, 1998

¡°,¡± Children¡¯s Environments, 1995   

Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ 2010 Professional General Design Honor Award, Nueva School, Hillsborough, California, Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture / Image credit: Marion Brenmer

Resources

, The Trust for Public Land

, National Wildlife Organization


 
Organizations








 
Role of the Landscape Architect

By designing schools whose grounds are integrated into the surrounding landscapes, as well as spaces for outside learning and unstructured play, landscape architects provide children with access to nature in their day to day lives.

Designed naturalistic parks in the heart of cities, like Dumbarton Oaks Park, in Washington DC, allow children the chance to run, play and discover nature, all while being near home. 

Case Studies

Nueva School, Hillsborough, California, Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture

, Washington, D.C., Beatrix Farrand, ALSA

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