Nurturing Children’s Mental Health
The Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation asks Tara Zupancic about the role of nature in nurturing positive mental health in children. “The ability of nature to shift a child’s mood and mental focus isn’t simply a romantic notion. Scientific investigation reveals that nature serves as a seedbed of restoration that can buffer the gravity of stress, anxiety, depression and learning challenges...
Rooting Nature in Child Health and Education Strategies
Habitus is working to promote access to nature as an integral part of community health and education strategies. Many community-based organizations are leading ground-up initiatives to better calibrate our daily dose of nature. Whether it’s Parkbus, a grassroots enterprise working to overcome mobility barriers to reaching great Canadian landscapes, or Park People, a group pumping...
Working with the BC Centre for Disease Control to promote health equity in the built environment: New Report and Fact Sheet
Structural inequities keep some neighbourhoods “locked in a context of disadvantage”. Health equity means all people have a fair chance to reach their full health potential and are not disadvantaged by social, economic, and environmental conditions. Community design and the services and resources provided within them, directly influence people’s wellbeing. A commitment to health equity means planning...
Green Divides In Cities Are Also Health Divides
Tackling health inequalities is a major global health priority, and ensuring equitable access to nature must be part of that strategy.
Bridging gaps in community connection
Extreme weather events and a growing aging population means we need strong community connections that bring us together when it’s needed the most
Our work with Toronto Public Health and the David Suzuki Foundation leads to call for more green space by Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health
On September 22nd, Toronto’s Board of Health approved a report by the city’s Medical Officer of Health calling for an increase in urban green space to support the physical and mental wellbeing of local residents. The report prioritized green space investment in disadvantaged and historically under-serviced neighbourhoods in the city. Our work on: The Impact of Green Space...
Our work with the David Suzuki Foundation shows how urban green space cuts air pollution and cools cities
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Recent events and talks
The Nature of our Cities: Equity, Green Spaces & Community. THE TORONTO AND REGION CONSERVATION AUTHORITY FORUM: MY NICHE IN THE COMMUNITY January 19, 2018. Albion Hills, Ontario. Tara Zupancic was honoured to deliver a keynote on what equity really means when we plan our communites and why greenspaces are an essential and critical part...
A road to health paved with green interventions
Our systematic examination of almost 15 years of peer reviewed evidence shows that urban green space can support healthier births, reduce morbidity, and decrease stress (see report: Green City: Why Nature Matters to Health – An Evidence Review ). But it’s community stories, like Tish Carnat’s, that reveal the heart hidden in the science.
Cooler, healthier, more equitable cities?
Unprecedented urban growth has intensified extreme heat and air pollution, and the health risks that go with them. Green spaces have a natural capacity to provide fresh air, reduce ground temperatures, cool urban air and provide relief from heat stress.