Category Archives: Simon Bell

The University of Edinburgh and Beijing Institute of Technology Joint Laboratory of Healthy Space Exhibition launch and Seminar

Join us at the exhibition launch of the Joint Laboratory of Healthy Space student research and design work followed by a seminar from Dr Mo Han

From 9-13 February, 2026 an exhibition will be held in the Matthew Gallery in Minto House, Chambers Steet, showcasing three different sets of work associated with the Joint Lab of Healthy Space 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. This joint lab was set up in early 2023 and collaboration has included summer schools, doctoral seminars and joint publications.

This exhibition features 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 focuses on various types of green and blue spaces and their health and wellbeing potential.

The curators of the exhibition are Professor Simon Bell, co-director of OPENspace, Iain Scott, Senior Lecturer responsible for the MArch course which is showcased, and Dr Mo Han, Associate Professor of BIT and organiser of the summer schools.

Following the opening, Dr Han will present some of her work at an OPENspace seminar, to take place in Seminar Room 4 at Minto House.

Exhibition launch details

Date and Time: Monday 9th February 2026, 12pm

Location:  Matthew gallery, Minto House, Chamber Street (In-Person only)

Register for the Exhibition

OPENspace Seminar

Date and Time: Monday 9th February 2026, 1pm-2pm

Speaker: Dr Mo Han

Location: Seminar Room 4, Minto House

To Register to view the Seminar online please sign up for an online admission ticket through the exhibition event and a Seminar link will be sent to you.

Title:  ‌Integrated Strategies for Rural Landscape Planning and Sustainable Development‌ based on Landscape Character Assessment and Cultural Ecosystem Service.

China is currently facing a comprehensive undertaking of rural revitalization. In order to continue the Chinese agricultural civilization and explore the profound rural civilization of our country, it is necessary to base on the historical heritage of rural civilization and the deep value of rural landscapes, and promote the organic unity of rural culture with agricultural economy, ecological environment, and social value. This study is based on the theory of Landscape Character Assessment, deeply analyzes the essence of rural landscape features in China and their Landscape Capacity in response to transformation, and incorporates artificial intelligence technology to carry out scientific and precise pre-planning for rural development, aiming to organically integrate the protection of rural historical value with the development of rural ecological civilization. 

Speaker Bio:

Mo Han is an Associate Director of BIT-UoE Joint Laboratory of Healthy Space and Associate Professor at the School of Design and Arts at the Beijing Institute of Technology.

The Urban Blue Spaces Chinese translation was officially launched at the Beijing Institute of Technology

Professor Simon Bell visited the Beijing Institute of Technology Joint Lab of Healthy Space in early January. One of the main activities was the launch of the Chinese translation of the book Urban Blue Spaces, originally published in 2022.

An audience of professors and students attended and the book was presented by Dr Mo Han, the translation editor who not only explained the book but also illustrated how its messages could be and already are being applied in research at BIT and in China.

The launch was followed by a panel discussion and presentations of research by BIT PhD students who are working on aspects of blue spaces.

ECA, ESALA and OPENspace welcomes the delegation from the Harbin Institute of Technology

A delegation from the Faculty of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at Harbin Institute of Technology (HIT) – Professor Yang Yu, Associate professor Qi Guo and two PhD students Keli Wang and Yuxin Huang – visited ECA, ESALA and OPENspace on the 26 and 27 of November. They toured the architecture and landscape architecture studios with Iain Scott and Simon Bell, met ESALA staff to discuss cooperation and joined a research seminar with landscape architecture PhD students. Simon Bell has been teaching at  HIT since 2015 and has built strong connections with the staff and students.

Launch of the International Journal of Healthy Space

The International Journal of Healthy Space has officially launched, with its first issue now available here. Featuring editorial contributions from Professor Simon Bell, Chief Editor, and Ziwen Sun, Executive Editor, the journal marks an important step in advancing research and practice at the intersection of design and health.

The International Journal of Healthy Space aims to bridge design with the disciplines of health and wellness, fostering collaboration between researchers and practitioners across fields.

Focusing on the core theme of healthy living environments, the International Journal of Healthy Space explores the crucial role of design in promoting health, improving healthcare settings, and enhancing quality of life. The journal places particular emphasis on innovation and application of design in the health field, addressing not only human-centered healthy spaces but also the design and understanding of non-human health environments.

The journal is also inviting submissions for a special issue on the theme of ‘Healthy Urban Landscapes: Designing for Well-being through Evidence and Practice.‘
Aligned with the IFLA Urban Health and Well-being Working Programme 17, this special issue will explore topics including:

  • Urban environmental stressors and well-being
  • Lifestyle, behaviour, and urban form
  • Blue and green infrastructure for health and well-being
  • Community-based practice

For more information on how to contribute, please visit https://www.hwipgl.com/sys-nd/185.html.

Prof. Simon Bell Presents at International Conference on Integrated Forest Management

Prof. Simon Bell participated in the international conference “Integrated Forest Management for Environmental, Social, and Economic Balance,” held in Riga, Latvia, on 18–19 September 2025.

The event was organised by Rīgas Meži (Riga Forests), the organisation responsible for managing over 65,000 hectares of forest owned by the City of Riga since the Middle Ages.

Prof. Bell delivered a presentation entitled “How to Plan and Manage Forests to Maintain Aesthetic, Recreational, Health and Wellbeing Values.” His talk addressed the need to integrate cultural and social dimensions into forest planning and management, ensuring that these landscapes continue to deliver benefits for both people and the environment.

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Activities in the Joint Lab of Healthy Space

In July 2025, Prof. Simon Bell and Iain Scott visited the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), where they co-taught a summer school attended by a diverse group of students. They also participated in a research symposium on Healthy Design.

Research Symposium on Healthy Design

Work is underway to complete the Chinese translation of the Urban Blue Spaces book and to develop a proposal for a major international conference, OpenSpace:HealthySpace, planned for October 2026. The event will be co-organised with OPENspace to mark 25 years since OPENspace was founded.

Preparations are also progressing for the launch of the International Journal of Healthy Space, expected by the end of 2025. The inaugural issue will feature editorial contributions from Prof. Simon Bell, Chief Editor, and Ziwen Sun, Executive Editor.

BIT visit 2025

Prof. Simon Bell takes on the role of Director of the IFLA Working Programme on Urban Health and Well-being

In time for the 2025 IFLA World Congress held in Nantes, France in September, 19 new Working Programmes were set up representing  a wide range of the many issues landscape architects face. This ambitious initiative seeks to unite the expertise of IFLA members to confront global challenges and elevate the profession’s impact on an international scale.

Working Programme 17 covers Urban Health and Well-being. It has a director (Prof Simon Bell), a co-director (Dr Gayle Souter-Brown) and several working members from around the world, representing academia and practice. A work programme and terms of reference have been prepared for approval by the IFLA Executive Committee.

IFLA Working Programmes

Prof Simon Bell and Iain Scott visit the Beijing Institute of Technology, strengthening ongoing collaboration

In early July 2024, Professor Simon Bell and Iain Scott visited the Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT), where they took part in a number of activities including a summer school with students, academic meetings with Tsinghua and Peking Universities in Beijing, and a seminar on BlueHealth at the BIT campus in Zhuhai, in the south of China.

The summer school focused on students designing a blue space in a local park and Simon and Iain introduced the theories and practical usages of the BlueHealth Behaviour Assessment Tool (BBAT) and the BlueHealth Environmental Assessment Tool (BEAT) to the students. Iain was also appointed as a visiting professor during the visit.

This visit follows the establishment of the Joint Lab on Healthy Spaces by BIT and OPENspace in the Summer of 2023 and a successful visit by faculty and students from BIT in early May (Read News post here). Looking ahead, another visit by the Edinburgh College of Art’s Head of School and Edinburgh School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture (ESALA) and OPENspace researchers is planned for December 2024, and there’s potential for a Joint Lab conference in 2026. There are a few other exciting initiatives in the works, including the launch of an ‘International Journal of Healthy Space.’

The Surprising Benefits of Blue Spaces

On Friday 11 November 2022 the BBC published a long piece on its website under the Future Planet/MentaL Health section on “The Surprising Benefits of Blue Spaces” https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20221108-the-doctors-prescribing-blue-therapy?utm_source=bbc-news&utm_medium=right-hand-slot .

In it, the EU Horizon 2020 BlueHealth project is specifically mentioned, and a link is made directly to one of Simon Bell’s articles from his work as a Principal Investigator on the BlueHealth project https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/12/10/4084 which is all about the impact of a small-scale intervention in Plymouth on residents’ health and wellbeing.

The surprising benefits of blue spaces – BBC Future When Homo sapiens first evolved some 300,000 years ago, we lived in grasslands and forests, next to lakes and rivers. It wasn’t until 2007 that we became a majority-urban species. But as … www.bbc.com

(Image credit: Frankie Adkins)

Dr. Simon Bell – Research Papers

Dr. Simon Bell- Academic Papers