Resources

• Author(s): Jo Barton and Jules Pretty

• Organization: Environmental Science and Technology http://pubs.acs.org/journal/esthag

• Date Published: December 31, 2010

“Green exercise is activity in the presence of nature. Evidence shows it leads to positive short and long-term health outcomes. This multistudy analysis assessed the best regime of dose(s) of acute exposure to green exercise required to improve self-esteem and mood (indicators of mental health).”

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/es903183r

• Author(s): Mariana Brussoni et all

• Organization: Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health

• Date Published: July 1, 2015

Risky outdoor play has been associated with promoting children’s health and development, but also with injury and death. Risky outdoor play has diminished over time, concurrent with increasing concerns regarding child safety and emphasis on injury prevention. The authors sought to conduct a systematic review to examine the relationship between risky outdoor play and health in children, in order to inform the debate regarding its benefits and harms.

www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

• Organization: Project for Public Spaces http://www.pps.org
• Date Published: January 6, 2014

Excerpted from Planning, Designing and Maintaining Safer Parks, produced by Toronto Parks & Recreation. This guide is not intended to be a definitive statement on creating safer parks and open spaces, nor is it intended to serve as a template for the design, operation and use of parks. The design of a park can have a direct impact on people’s perceptions of safety and their willingness to use a space. The physical characteristics which park users associate with high-risk environments include:
Poor lighting
Confusing layout
Physical and aural isolation
Poor visibility
No access to help
Areas of concealment
Poor maintenance
Vandalism
Presence of “undesirables”
Designing a park for safety is based on what is generally considered to be good design: it meets the needs of its users; it is diverse and interesting; it connects people with place; and it provides people with a positive image and experience. While good design will not necessarily eliminate perceptions of fear or opportunities for crime to occur, it can create the preconditions for effective control.

http://www.pps.org/reference/what-role-can-design-play-in-creating-safer-parks/

• Author(s): Jane Hewes http://www.galileonetwork.ca/earlylearning/?q=content/jane-hewes

• Date Published: October 28, 2011

This presentation highlights the importance of involving children in the design of natural playgrounds.

http://lin.ca/sites/default/files/attachments/Hewes2011.pdf

• Author(s): Office of Human Environment; US Department of Transportation

• Organization: US Department of Transportation

• Date Published: March 1, 2015

This report examines potential methods for evaluating the economic benefits from nonmotorized transportation investments. The variety of potential economic benefits of bicycle and pedestrian infrastructure and programming investments discussed include commute cost savings for bicyclists and pedestrians, direct benefits to bicycle and tourism-related businesses, indirect economic benefits due to changing consumer behavior, and individual and societal cost savings associated with health and environmental benefits

http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/cms/downloads/NTPP_Economic_Benefits_White_Paper.pdf

• Author(s): BC Spaces for Nature (http://www.wilded.org/)

• Organization: BC Spaces for Nature (http://www.wilded.org/)

WildED delivers Nature Education Programs to grades 4 – 12 across the Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley…. Parks and wilderness are essential to the Canadian persona. If our parks and wilderness legacy is truly to be recognized and passed on to future generations, this next generation of young people must understand the value of wild nature and why and how it needs to be cherished and preserved. WildED takes a unique and original approach to accomplish this, in particular:
– The primary focus is reconnecting youth to wilderness and nature by providing experiential, hands-on programs
– Our educators are professional certified teachers with wildlife and biology backgrounds who are experts in outdoor recreation leadership
– Our advisory steering committee and teacher advisory group is made up of professional teachers, conservationists, business consultants, and outdoors people
– We have alliances and work in collaboration with a broad base of outdoor enthusiasts, teachers, environmental educators, and outdoor schools
– We provide mentorship and follow-up support to foster ongoing learning, action and leadership in youth

http://www.wilded.org/

• Author(s): New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/)

• Organization: New South Wales National Parks and Wildlife Service (http://www.nationalparks.nsw.gov.au/)

WilderQuest is a program incorporating an online environment and in-nature experiences, developed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service to encourage children and their families to spend time in nature. The WilderQuest website has an emphasis on helping Australian children become comfortable with and fascinated by nature. We hope that WilderQuest will inspire children to learn more about nature and Aboriginal and Indigenous Australian culture while having fun.

http://www.wilderquest.nsw.gov.au/#/intro

• Author(s): Randy White

• Organization: White Hutchinson Leisure and Learning Group

• Date Published: January 3, 2004

With children’s access to the outdoors and the natural world becoming increasingly limited or nonexistent, child care, kindergarten and schools, where children spend 40 to 50 hours per week, may be mankind’s last opportunity to reconnect children with the natural world and create a future generation that values and preserves nature.” This article defines the concept of naturalization of playgrounds and their benefits.

http://www.whitehutchinson.com/children/articles/childrennature.shtml