Have you ever gotten off the bus or out of your car in the Tallwood parking lot and thought of the school as a welcoming environment, based on the way it looks on the outside? If I were asked that, I’d say “a big brick building with a ton of grass and a lack of color? No.” The role of green spaces in supporting mental well-being is becoming increasingly recognized and sought after. Our world’s urban lifestyle has increasingly disconnected us from nature; the development of environmentally friendly neighborhood designs has helped bring nature closer to everyday life, so let’s imagine this positive attraction being added to our own school. Landscapes’ effects on people and their daily lives can be determined through mental, physical, and behavioral reactions.
Background Information
From extensive learning at the Environmental Studies Program, I’ve learned that good landscapes are accessible, sustainable, and promote social interaction; however, bad landscapes lack such features and include bad plant choices and eventually get neglected. That’s why many schools, including our own, stick to basic grass and mulched landscapes. Even in overall urban environments, including green infrastructure is always such an important piece to promoting community well being. Landscapes can range from gardening spots besides building all the way to forested walkways. It is very much possible to create sustainable landscapes within urbanized areas through native plant choice and a well thought out design. Hopefully, soon to be introduced to our own school.
Mental Effects
Different types of landscapes can induce different kinds of moods; urban spaces tend to cause stress and usually don’t have a sense of peace and gardens create more of a serenity feeling from the greenery and silence they create. Spending time in green spaces has been shown to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression. Wouldn’t that be the perfect addition to Tallwood? The natural settings allow for a break from the constant noise and bustle of daily life, like a classic day at Tallwood, promoting relaxation and a sense of peace. Landscapes can have a variety of purposes, like sports or sitting areas, that foster a sense of community.
Physical Effects
Tallwood, like any normal high school, has SPED students and student athletes who struggle on a daily basis or from time to time with certain movements or communications. Recent rapid increase in urbanization is linked to the decreased value of public health related to diseases and infections. A high school helps any teenager grow up to be an adult, and it should be the school’s job to provide an environment that positively affects every part of a teenager’s life. High School on its own is hard as it is, but every student deals with their own hardships at home too. A high school should foster a sense of escape and safety for a student, not a place that stirs up the stressors many teenagers already have. It’s becoming more prominent to study the overcoming of negative health effects of nature and investigating the interaction between health hazards in the physical environment and individual risk factors (diseases, injuries, disorders, etc). Urban green spaces encourage physical activity and improve air quality significantly, leading to a healthy community and a lower rate of spreading diseases in cities. No, Virginia Beach isn’t New York or Los Angeles, but we are a community that should always put the first foot forward in creating and maintaining a safe and welcoming environment for the growing generations just like any city should.
Behavioral Effects
Beautifully landscaped areas not only enhance mood but also increase productivity, particularly in home environments. I have paid someone, who I sat next to in class, ten bucks to do his school work because I hated seeing their lack of interest and motivation for any type of school work. Previous studies have shown that direct contact with nature is highly beneficial for human beings.
A study about green spaces associated with lower violent assault rates provides support for the protective effect of green space against violent aggression. If you’re a student at Tallwood, you know that Tallwood has a reputation of having fights within the school. That shouldn’t be a normal thing to see and hear. It has been found that higher levels of green space total coverage as well as population-weighted green space exposure are consistently associated with lower assault rates. Besides the positive mental effects, this outcome could be because the landscape is gaining attention from more people, so less people are willing to commit such crimes in a highly trafficked and noticed area.
Conclusion
Landscapes’ effects on people and their daily lives can be examined through mental, physical, and behavioral reactions. Landscapes are a vital part of humans’ day to day lives; they’re viewed on walks, from an office window, and can offer a place of silence. No matter how landscapes may affect communities, they will always impact you some way or another. It’s important for communities to be aware of the impact and importance of urban and natural landscapes and the effects on their society. I, a senior at Tallwood high school, will be implementing a native landscape at the entrance of Tallwood high school to hopefully create a better environment for all students. We are the next generation who will soon be taking over the work force, so we need the right resources and environment to grow into who we will soon become later on in life. It all starts with one change.
