Landscapes of the Mind

 

A series of programmes which explore the importance of landscape and green spaces, looking at the design of urban green spaces, the way our attitudes towards landscape changed during Covid lockdowns, and how people adapt their lives and work to the landscape around them.

in the Studio with James Corner

We hear about the plans for an urban greenspace, running alongside a live rail line in Camden - the latest project of James Corner, designer of the New York High Line. We meet James on a site visit to Camden and in his offices in New York as he explains the challenge of creating urban green spaces in cities.

Why do we love Landscapes?

In this documentary for the BBC World Service, Caz Graham explores the appeal of landscapes. She goes to the Lake District to meet mountain climbers and visit Wordsworth’s home in order to understand what draws us to landscapes - and the mental health benefits of being in the landscape.

Landscapes of the Mind - Radio 4

This documentary explores how the impact of Covid and lockdowns on mental health has raised the importance of urban green spaces.

The benefits of landscape for physical and mental well-being through history are described by Catharine Ward Thompson, Professor of Landscape Architecture at the University of Edinburgh. The public health value of urban green space in response to epidemics is described by Sara Jensen C, Assistant Professor of Architecture at Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. She recounts how urban parks such as New York’s Central Park were designed to help with physical and mental health.The restorative potential of urban green space is described by Jenny Roe, Professor and Director of the Center for Design and Health at the University of Virginia.

Alderley Edge - profile of author Alan Garner, for Radio 4

Why Do We Love Landscapes - for BBC World Service with Caz Graham