Conference and abstract

        A few weeks ago, we had to write an abstract for a paper that we'll have to submit in January. This abstract has been reviewed by two of my fellow students, and my supervisor.  I am now happy to submit it to you online!
       I will present this paper (or, more exactly, the global content of the paper) at a conference next Tuesday. It is part of our assessment, for the Reserch Methods Course of the University, that we have to organise a conference all together to present our work.
       This year's title of the conf is:  

Kaleidoscopes and Cacophonies - Contemporary Research to be Seen, Felt and Heard

It will be in St Cecilia's Hall, from 9 to 16:30, on the 1st of December. All the details are here :  http://pgrm09.eca.ac.uk/




And here is my abstract:

         In the past fifty years, numerous researches have shown evidence that natural  elements and settings have a positive influence on human health and well-being (Ulrich, 1983; Kaplan and Kaplan, 1989). Such findings opened the way towards a new vision of landscape as a healing environment, and various possibilities both for landscape architects and medical practitioners, from the design and construction of healing gardens to the development of activities such as garden therapy. However, not every garden is a healing garden and even less a therapeutic one.

        Furthermore, different populations have different needs and call for different answers. What are then the possibilities opened by these recent researches? How can these theories be applied in the practice of landscape architecture?

        This literature-based essay attempts to provide a few general guidelines for landscape architects confronted with the problematic issue to “not only create a place but also facilitate a process” (Cooper Marcus and Barnes, 1999). It consists of two parts.

        The first part offers a brief overview of the main theories and researches concerning the positive effects of natural environments. These findings will then be analysed to discuss their applications in landscape design, stressing the different interpretations that exist depending on the theoretical approach adopted. This first part will conclude with an outline of the main design principles developed throughout the years relating to the construction of healing or therapeutic gardens.

        The second part is a presentation of how some of these fundamental theories can come to life in the case of therapeutic gardens, through an exploration of the work of Anne Ribes. French garden therapist in the hospital la Pitié-Salpêtrière in Paris and creator of the “Belles Plantes” association, Mrs Ribes was the very first person in France to try and establish garden activities in hospitals. Through two examples of her experience with Alzheimer patients and autistic children, it will be demonstrated that here too, different interpretations and design principles exist depending on the needs of the population the garden is built for.

      As a whole, there are still many aspects of the relationship between people and their environment that are left unknown. Some potential research topics will be suggested that would be relevant to develop the understanding of the effects of natural environment on human health. However, this essay stresses the fact that the starting point for creating a garden should always be an informed and clear intention and mostimportantly a thorough analysis of the needs of the population it is built for.

COOPER MARCUS C. & BARNES M., 1999 – Healing gardens : Therapeutic benefits and design recommendations. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
KAPLAN R. & KAPLAN S., 1989 - The experience of nature: A psychological perspective. New York: Cambridge University Press.
RIBES A., 2006 – Toucher la Terre: Jardiner avec ceux qui souffrent. Paris: Medicis.
STIGSDOTTER U.A. & GRAHN P., 2002 - What makes a garden a healing garden?. Journal of Therapeutic Horticulture (13) pp 60-69.
ULRICH R., 1983 - Aesthetic and affective response to natural environment. In I. Altman & J. Wohlwill (Eds.), Human behavior and environment: Vol. 6 (pp. 85–125). New York: Plenum Press.