Urban design and therapeutic landscapes. Evolving theme.

Abstract

The global pandemic of COVID-19, which enforced strict isolation, demonstrated the responsibility of architects and planners for public health promotion. While the concept of therapeutic landscapes is rather new, the quest for designing health-promoting human environment is at least as old as urban planning. The garden suburbs of Ebenezer Howard and Patrick Geddes were planned to promote health and well-being. The ultimate goal of Le Corbusier was to provide daylight and fresh air to each apartment. However, towers in open green space, which were built according to his visions, turned into unfriendly large suburbs. Today, the definition of therapeutic landscapes encompasses not only physical aspects of environment but also social and psychological factors. This study focuses on attempts to create health-promoting places. The interesting question is  what are the architectural features linked to health promotion? Although the individual perception of health-promoting places is subjective and may vary, there are some objective qualities of eco-neighbourhoods that are conducive to human health and longevity. This study combines literature review with field observation and resultes in the development of the conceptual framework which can be consolidated into the universal standards for health-promoting places.