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Can Green Space Be a New Mental Health Treatment?

Linda Poon

July 30, 2018 |

Bloomberg CityLab |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

In Philadelphia, a study has found that turning vacant lots into parks and green spaces helped reduce rates of depression in the poorest neighborhoods. These findings complement previous evidence that providing access to nature and greenery can impact mental health.

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Replacing Vacant Lots With Green Spaces Can Ease Depression In Urban Communities

Rhitu Chatterjee

July 20, 2018 |

NPR |

Radio |

Under 3 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

By using a "greening intervention," in which abandoned lots in low-income neighborhoods were turned into parks, researchers were able to determine that having a park in close proximity improved community member's mental health and wellbeing.

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How two Belgian cities turned their pavements into playgrounds

Anoush Darabi

June 22, 2018 |

Apolitical |

Text |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: Belgium, Antwerp

Urban planners in Belgium are creating play spaces, known as the “speelweefselplan,” to give children more room to be outside. The design process includes asking schoolchildren about their routes to and from school, and then planners map out ways to make those routes more interactive. As cities grow and traditional parks are limited, this model shows a way that cities can continue to be welcoming for children.

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Reviving the City: How an Asphalt Plant Turned Into a Public Park

Laura von Puttkamer

June 21, 2018 |

Urbanet |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Mexico, Mexico City

By participating in the decision-making process, Mexico City residents successfully convinced the government to build a public park instead of an office development. The Parque Imán is 2.4 hectares, includes 163 trees, and the green space can potentially benefit up to 200,000 residents of some city boroughs. While there are some concerns about the soil quality in the park due to the adjacent asphalt plant, the park shows how participation from residents and transparency from the government allowed the public space to be built.

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How 3 Loved-To-Death Parks Are Taking Action: Permits, Poop Bags And New Paths

Ann Awad

May 24, 2018 |

Colorado Public Radio |

Radio |

Over 15 Minutes

Response Location: United States, Colorado

As Colorado's popular parks become slammed with visitors park officials are noticing dramatic environmental impacts to the areas. To mitigate against continuous damage, three parks - Garden of the Gods, Conundrum Hot Springs and Hanging Lake - are piloting stricter Leave No Trace policies via targeted outreach and education.

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Paris is building the eco-community of the future right now. Here's how.

Susannah Shmurak

May 23, 2018 |

Ensia |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: France, Clichy-Batignolles, Paris

Setting the bar high for environmental sustainability can encourage innovation and experimentation. Developers of Paris’ new Clichy-Batignolles eco-district are reducing the neighborhood’s carbon footprint in nearly every way imaginable. Solar panels and vegetation cover the energy-efficient buildings, the water table under the 10-hectare (25-acre) park provides geothermal heating, deliveries are directed to a central drop-off site, and much more.

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Saving Africa's wildlife

Kevin Sieff

May 18, 2018 |

The Washington Post |

Multi-Media |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: Malawi

Africa's wildlife have made headlines time and time again, as species find their way closer to extinction. There are some pockets of the continent, however that have provide refuge for species and allowed them to not just populate, but thrive. Recognizing this, a group known as African Parks found a way to use these growing populations to repopulate other areas of the continent by transporting animals to newly protected areas.

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How Saguaro National Park Hopes To Catch Prickly Cacti Thieves

Tyler Fingert

April 30, 2018 |

NPR |

Multi-Media |

Under 800 Words

Response Location: United States, Saguaro National Park, Arizona

The National Park Service has resorted to microchipping hundreds of saguaro. Despite extensive legal protections, the iconic cacti are going missing. Rangers can only read the microchip by scanning a suspect cactus, but they hope this move will serve as an additional deterrent to would-be thieves hoping to cash in on the demand for saguaro among building owners.

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Real-world Minecraft mod: How the popular video game is transforming parks and other public spaces

Gregory Scruggs

April 19, 2018 |

GeekWire |

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800-1500 Words

Response Location: Serbia, Pristina

Popular video game Minecraft, an easy-to-use game where users construct the world around them, has been used by UN-Habitat in 40 projects across 35 cities in 25 countries to design public spaces. The accessible platform allows laypeople to quickly mockup what they would want in a public park or space, which is valuable community input for architects and urban designers.

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How Mount Vernon turned an old industrial site into a stunning park

Courtney McNaull

March 16, 2018 |

Richland Source |

Text |

800-1500 Words

Response Location: United States, Mount Vernon, Ohio

Mount Vernon’s Ariel-Foundation Park is largely a success story of balancing historical preservation with recreational growth. The park sits where there used to be a glass manufacturing plant. Rather than hide this, the design of the 250-acre park maintains the identity of the industrial past while still creating a beautiful green space. Through individual leadership, donations from private institutions, and support from the local government, the park is thriving today. (This is the fourth article in a four part series).

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