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The Health Of A Landscape

Decent Essays

Health in a landscape
An individual’s health is measured by their physical and mental wellbeing. It has been proven in many studies that an individual’s physical surroundings can have an impact on their overall health. With a contemporary cultural emphasis on healthy living, land planners including urban designers and landscape architects have unique opportunities to integrate health into our everyday outdoor spaces. In a publication written by Landscape Institute, a Royal Chartered Institute for Landscape Architects and land planners, there are 5 essential principles that contribute to the success of a ‘healthy landscape’.
Principle 1
“Healthy places improve air, water, and soil quality, incorporating measures that help us adapt to, and where possible mitigate, climate change.”
A healthy place can improve air, water, and soil quality that can all attribute to adaption and mitigation of positive climate changes. These improvements can be achieved by the following:
Using vegetation to improve existing air quality
Vegetation not only provides oxygen it can also attribute to reducing air pollution. Using certain strategies in plant choice and layout can attribute to further air quality improvements. For instance, broadleaf vegetation will absorb pollution more effectively than evergreens with needle like foliage however, evergreens offer year round benefits. Low density vegetation can provide air filtration while high density can create a barrier.
Using ecosystems to

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