In July 2026 Professor Simon Bell, accompanied by Dr Mo Han of BIT, visited Dalian University of Technology to initiate cooperation.
He met Professor Jin Bo and other colleagues and discussed potential project ideas with a focus on technology, big data and AI as an approach to combine and synthesise complex datasets regarding urban health.
OPENspace Research Associate Dr Antonio Ross-Perez presented preliminary findings from the WIAT2 research project at the International Medical Geography Symposium 2026, held in Toronto in July.
His presentation explored the potential effects of a nationwide woodland intervention programme on child development in Scotland. The research, being undertaken within OPENspace, examines how changes to the environment may influence children’s development and wellbeing.
Improving and maintaining woodlands in deprived communities is linked with reduced antidepressant and anti-anxiety medication use, research suggests.
People living in deprived communities are less likely to use medication for depression and anxiety if they have easy access to well-maintained woodlands, the study found.
Researchers at the Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow analysed data from more than 129,000 people over five years.
The study is one of the largest analyses of its kind, assessing how investments in local woodlands in and around towns in Scotland affect people’s mental health.
The researchers used NHS prescription records and census data to see whether people living within a 10-minute walk of an improved woodland area were more or less likely to be taking medication for depression or anxiety.
Woodland improvements had been supported through Scottish Forestry’s Woods In and Around Towns (WIAT) initiative, which provided funding for practical improvements such as new footpaths, better signage, and community events.
The initiative prioritised areas that were more socially and financially disadvantaged, where woodlands required improved management to reduce barriers and enable more local people to use and enjoy them.
People living in urban deprived communities that were close to a woodland area that had been made more welcoming and easier for people to use were 10 per cent less likely to be prescribed antidepressants and six per cent less like to be prescribed anti-anxiety medication, than those living further away.
This was the case even when accounting for other factors linked to mental health outcomes, such as demographics and poverty.
The benefit of living near these woodlands showed up for the same people even when their proximity to these woodlands changed. For example, when someone moved closer to an improved woodland, their need for medication went down.
By tracking the same individuals over time, the researchers say they can be more confident that it was the woodland improvements making the difference, rather than simply healthier or wealthier people happening to live in greener areas.
“The research provides stronger evidence on the mental health benefits of woodland improvements for local communities than was possible in earlier studies. It also shows that these benefits may contribute to reducing inequalities in health across the population.”
Professor Catharine Ward Thompson
“For the first time, we have an opportunity to link data on mental health services with a long-term national urban forestry intervention programme to offer the kind of evidence required to inform future forestry policy. Our results tell us that relatively modest investments in local greenspaces can make a real difference to people’s mental health. Nature-focused initiatives like Woods In and Around Towns (WIAT) can be a valuable tool to complement ongoing efforts to improve wellbeing and mental health.”
Dr Scott Ogletree
Around one in eight people globally live with a mental health condition, and those in poorer communities tend to be hit hardest. At the same time, these are often the communities with the least access to good quality parks, woodlands, and greenspaces.
The researchers say that their findings make a case for integrating nature-based interventions into public health strategies, particularly in urban areas where greenspace can be limited and poorly maintained in certain neighbourhoods.
The research team have worked with experts from Scottish Forestry and Forest Research for over 20 years to gather evidence on the social and health benefits that local woodlands can offer to communities, pioneering work on this topic within Europe.
“This groundbreaking study provides further compelling evidence of the benefits that local woodlands deliver for people and communities. The association between the investment in woods in and around Scotland’s towns and cities, and lower prescription use for depression and anxiety, highlights the importance of continuing to expand, manage and improve these valuable green spaces.”
Jim Fairlie, Minister for Agriculture, Marine and the Islands
The research used census data from the Scottish Longitudinal Study which tracks the lives and health of thousands of people in Scotland to help researchers understand what affects people’s wellbeing.
The study is published in The Lancet Planetary Health.
The research was supported by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and the GroundsWell Consortium, a UK-wide research partnership funded by the UK Prevention Research Partnership (UKPRP), that studies how green and blue spaces, can improve health and reduce health inequalities.
OPENspace Honorary Fellow Dr. Caroline Pearce recently shared her research as part of a Foundations LIVE webinar held on 21 April 2026, contributing to a wider discussion on how housing design can better support relationships, belonging and community across different stages of life.
The webinar brought together researchers and practitioners to explore how homes and neighbourhoods can respond to changing needs, with Dr. Pearce presenting work from the Advanced Care Research Centre (ACRC) project. Her talk focused on the role of neighbourhood environments and communities in shaping wellbeing, and highlighted the Ageing in Place Standard Tool. This emerging tool aims to support policymakers, designers, third-sector organisations and communities in creating environments that enable people to remain connected and supported as they age.
The Foundations LIVE session, funded by the UK Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, reflects growing national interest in innovative housing approaches. Other speakers included Savannah Fishel from the Innovation Unit, who shared her Churchill Fellowship work on intergenerational communal housing.
OPENspace Co-Director, Prof. Simon Bell, was invited to speak at the ‘Connecting through Nature’ interdisciplinary gardening and wellbeing workshop for postgraduate researchers (PGRs) at the University of Manchester on 11th March.
The workshop, which focused on sustainable gardening and landscape-wellbeing design, explored the relationships between landscape, health, and sustainable urban environments.
Prof. Bell’s lecture, “Connecting Through Nature: Urban Allotment Gardening and Wellbeing in Europe”, drew on insights from the edited volume Urban Allotment Gardens in Europe. The session explored the historical evolution, governance, and socio-ecological significance of urban allotment and community gardens across European cities.
Through comparative case studies, Prof. Bell highlighted how allotments contribute to food security, biodiversity, social cohesion, and cultural identity, while also revealing tensions around land tenure, planning policy, and gentrification.
Alongside the lecture, participants took part in a hands-on gardening activity, creating small plant installations using recycled materials. The workshop combined practical making with shared reflection and research-led discussion, encouraging interdisciplinary dialogue across planning, geography, and architecture.
As the global population shifts toward urban living, non-communicable and lifestyle-related health conditions are increasing. Chronic stress contributes to depression, anxiety, obesity, heart disease, and reduced focus — even among people who appear otherwise well. At the same time, economies are struggling with the rising costs of healthcare. Yet, the gap between what we know and what we do in city design remains immense.
This webinar explores how landscape architecture can help bridge that gap. Bringing together research, practice, and insights from salutogenesis, it will examine how contact with nature and thoughtfully designed urban landscapes can reduce stress, strengthen wellbeing, and support healthier everyday environments.
Date: 25 March 2026
Time: 8 am NZDT
Register: https://lnkd.in/eYepxeXD
OPENspace is broadening its research focus beyond urban green and blue spaces, extending its work into a wider range of environments that shape health and wellbeing.
Researchers are currently collaborating on projects exploring the benefits of White Spaces (landscapes dominated by snow and ice), Skyscapes, and Seascapes, including submerged marine environments such as seagrass ecosystems. Together, these initiatives expand how we understand therapeutic and restorative landscapes, from ground level to underwater and even to the skies.
Several proposals are in development, including:
OPENspace researchers are also participating in the RethinkBlue COST Action, a European network advancing social science perspectives on the Blue Economy.
Together, this work reflects an important evolution in the Centre’s research, extending our environmental lens while continuing to explore how diverse landscapes offer nature-based solutions to enhancing human health and wellbeing.
On 10 January 2025, the first issue launch of The International Journal of Healthy Space (ISSN：3008-0479) was successfully held at Beijing Institute of Technology. The journal is hosted by the Joint Laboratory of Healthy Space between Beijing Institute of Technology and the University of Edinburgh. The launch marks the formal establishment of an international academic platform dedicated to interdisciplinary exchange in the field of healthy space.
The event was attended by leading scholars, industry representatives, editorial board members, school faculty, and students. Among them were Professor Simon Bell at the University of Edinburgh, UK Director of the Joint Laboratory, and Editor-in-Chief of the journal; Professor Yang Jianming at Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), Associate Editor of the journal; Professor Yao Jian, Associate Dean of School of Design and Arts of BIT; Associate Professor Li Dihua, Associate Dean of the College of Architecture and Landscape of Peking University; Professor Wang Jinping, former Dean of the School of Architecture at Taiyuan University of Technology and Distinguished Professor at Shanxi University; Mr Yang Jin; Chairman of Beijing Zhongwai Construction & Architectural Design Co., Ltd.; and Mr Zheng Jinbiao, Chairman of Hualin Wells Publishing Group. The event was chaired by Associate Professor Sun Ziwen, Associate Director of the Office of International Affairs at BIT, China Director of the Joint Laboratory, and Managing Editor of the journal.
Professor Simon Bell outlined the journal’s founding vision. He emphasised that the core objective of the journal is to encourage and disseminate rigorous research that provides clear evidence of the positive impact of design on human health. He expressed his hope that the journal would serve as a bridge connecting scholars from diverse disciplines and cultural backgrounds, working collaboratively to explore effective pathways through which spatial design can enhance public health and well-being.
During the subsequent guest speeches, several experts shared insights from both academic and professional perspectives.
Li Dihua, drawing on his experience as Executive Editor-in-Chief of the journal Landscape Architecture Frontiers and his research background, elaborated on the characteristics of high-quality research. He noted that publishable studies should clearly define specific issues related to healthy space and apply appropriate methodologies to provide new evidence or solutions. He further highlighted the importance of fieldwork and its practical implications for design practice.
From an industry standpoint, Yang Jin discussed the value of academic journals to professional practice. He observed that in the current context of innovation and transformation, in-depth and rigorous research provides an important benchmark for identifying outstanding design talent and innovative ideas. He expressed his expectation that the journal would foster meaningful dialogue between academia and industry, enabling more research-driven design innovations to emerge and be implemented.
Wang Jinping, reflecting on his decades-long systematic research on traditional architecture in Shanxi Province, emphasised the importance of sustained and focused scholarly commitment. He noted that research into healthy spaces likewise requires long-term dedication and “deep cultivation,” and he hoped that the journal would support and showcase academic achievements grounded in extensive investigation and thoughtful reflection.
On behalf of the School of Design and Arts of BIT, Yao Jian delivered closing remarks, affirming the school’s full support for the development of this international collaborative journal. He expressed confidence that it would enhance the discipline’s global influence in the field of healthy design and provide faculty and students with access to cutting-edge academic resources.
The establishment of The International Journal of Healthy Space represents another significant achievement in the deepening collaboration between the Beijing Institute of Technology and the University of Edinburgh in the field of healthy design. The journal will provide professional support for researchers worldwide to share cutting-edge findings and promote knowledge innovation, contributing to the advancement of research and practice in healthy living environments.
From 9-13 February, 2026 the Joint Laboratory of Healthy Space a collaborative project established between the School of Design and Art at Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) and OPENspace Research Centre and Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at ECA, held an exhibition of student research and design work at Matthew Gallery in Edinburgh.
The exhibition featured results from the 2024 summer school in BIT, where designs were intended to improve a blue space in Beijing, outputs from the MArch programme at ESALA which feature the design of edge structures along blue spaces, results of the Landscape and Wellbeing programme course on “Landscape design for health and wellbeing” featuring the Union Canal in Edinburgh and doctoral research in landscape architecture which focused on various types of green and blue spaces and their health and wellbeing potential.
The inaugural Peter Aspinall Memorial Lecture was held on 26th November 2025, marking an opportunity to reflect on the work and legacy of Professor Peter Aspinall and his pioneering contribution to restorative environment research.
The lecture was delivered by Professor Jenny Roe, Mary Irene DeShong Professor of Design & Health and Director of the Centre for Design & Health at the University of Virginia. A former PhD student and long-standing collaborator of Professor Aspinall, Professor Roe explored his influence through the lens of their shared research and mentorship.
Drawing on empirical work developed with multidisciplinary teams at the Universities of Edinburgh, Heriot-Watt and other UK institutions, Professor Roe highlighted the new paradigms they helped establish and the lasting global impact of this research on the field of environmental psychology.
The recording of the lecture is now available to watch below.