The benefits of exposure to nature have always existed, but are becoming more profound with the current lock down situation of the pandemic. This article from The Urban Developer highlights some of the ways that architecture will adapt in the future to give more access to nature.
Lessons can be learned from the Covid-19 pandemic to design people-friendly buildings and cities that embrace the natural environment and make us more resilient to future pandemics.
But for now, misconceptions about self-isolation measures could be having a detrimental affect on our health, according to UNSW associate professor Paul Osmond.
The Built Environment lecturer says that in Australia, people shouldn't reinterpret the “stay at home” message to mean “stay inside”, unless they are under quarantine, and highlighted the importance of exposure to nature for health and wellbeing.
“We need nature, at a minimum for viewing, but ideally through immersion and interaction - particularly now, as a way of de-stressing and preserving mental health,” Osmond said.
Osmond refers to "nature-deficit disorder", a term coined by author Richard Louv in his non-fiction book Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder, which discusses the negative effects on human health when people are removed from nature.
Research shows there can be improvements for children in learning, and adults’ workplace productivity levels can increase when they have a connection to the natural world.
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