Jenny Roe

Paris school streets are raising the global bar for children’s wellbeing More than 300 streets in the French capital have been redesigned to be traffic free. The welcome sense of calm is not going unnoticed

car-free school streets in Paris, healthier outcomes for everyone www.ft.com/content/4451...

Art Cure by Daisy Fancourt, professor of psychobiology and epidemiology at University College London, brings together numerous research projects confirming what we have always suspected - art is good for us. It helps us enjoy happier, healthier and longer lives. One study found that people who engaged regularly with the arts had a 31% lower risk of dying at any point during the follow-up period, even when confounding socioeconomic, demographic and health factors were taken into account. Studies also show that visiting museums and attending live music events can make people physiologically younger, and a monthly cultural activity almost halves our chances of depression. As Fancourt argues, if a drug boasted such benefits governments would be pouring billions into it. Instead, funding has been slashed across the culture sector and arts education has been devalued and eroded in the UK.

‘If a drug boasted such benefits [as the arts] governments would be pouring billions into it. Instead, funding has been slashed across the culture sector.’
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Thrilled to see the Chinese edition of Restorative Cities out in print now ! @laylamccay.bsky.social

Honoured to be giving this lecture in memory of my dear colleague Prof Peter Aspinall www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/professor-...

How a radical experiment to bring a forest into a preschool transformed children’s health In Finland, kindergartens are exposing children to more mud, wild plants and moss - and finding changes to their health that show how crucial biodiversity is to wellbeing

Biodiverse, ‘green’ Kindergarten’s in Finland build better immunity - as measured by host of biophysiological indicators - compared to standard ‘grey’ daycare centres, yet more evidence of how crucial healthy ecosystems are to human health www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Restorative Cities by @jennyjroe.bsky.social , @laylamccay.bsky.social,
Nature of Our Cities by Nadina Galle,
Copenhaganize by @colville-andersen.com ,
Life After Cars by the hosts of the War on Cars Podcast,
Cycling for Sustainable Cities by John Pulcher, Ralph Buehler,

‘Alarming rise’ in mental health stigma in England, research shows One in 10 people unwilling to live next to someone who has been mentally ill even if they have recovered, Mind reports

This news is quite shocking, I had hoped we'd made more progress since Covid-19 www.theguardian.com/society/2025...

One index please !

How birdsong and plant smells can boost wellbeing A Surrey-based study explores how environment affects emotional and psychological restoration.

🌱 Exciting news! Our Environmental Psychology Research Group is featured by the BBC, showcasing our latest research on how actively noticing sights/sounds of nature can improve psychological restoration.
Read more: www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...
#EnvironmentalPsychology @surreypsychology.bsky.social

Delighted to be awarded Emerita Professor status at the School of Architecture, University of Virginia. Thank you for this lovely summary of my 10 years at UVA. I miss you all but looking forward to new adventures back in the UK and Europe www.arch.virginia.edu/news/univers...

Loving the idea of 'bee buffers', micro restorative niches supporting life for all

Local view, Pentland Hills, Edinburgh

great example of biophilic design for heat mitigation, biodiversity enhancement, health, wellbeing and social impact, nurtured and cared for by local residents @ollywainwright.bsky.social www.theguardian.com/artanddesign...

A Common Assumption About Aging May Be Wrong, Study Suggests

Inflammation may be linked to urban living. Common Assumption About Aging May Be Wrong, Study Suggests www.nytimes.com/2025/06/30/w...

Opinion | Where I Learned the Power of Looking at Everything

“Pay attention. Look at everything”. Rachel Kushner, Where I Learned the Power of Looking at Everything www.nytimes.com/2025/06/30/o...

#restorativearchitecture Fenix, new museum of migration amid Rotterdam’s vast docks & old warehouses. Profoundly moving in context, exhibits & references to mobility. “Who you are is not only determined by where you came from, but also where you are going” (quote from curator) #here&there

#restorativearchitecture Boston's beautiful public library, dedicated to the advancement of learning, so rich in fascination, curiosity, materiality and refreshment.

#restorativeactivities Boston's open-air Brattle bookshop and Rockland's Arctic Tern Books, no pressure to buy, just explore and restore

We invite you to the 29th International Association for People-Environment Studies (IAPS) Conference, 29 June to 3 July 2026 at the University of Surrey in Guildford, United Kingdom.
More details can be found on our conference website www.surrey.ac.uk/iaps2026

Launching ‘Restorative architecture: the science of design for mental health and wellbeing’ (Bloomsbury) in print sometime 2026-27. Draft manuscript now complete, identifying 11 multi-sensorial attributes of architecture & their scientific relationship to mental health ‪@bloomsburyacad.bsky.social‬

Delighted to be appointed as Visiting Professor at Edinburgh College of Art, University of Edinburgh for three years www.openspace.eca.ed.ac.uk/welcome-prof...

Thai translation of “Restorative Cities” just landed on my doorstep. Weirdly it has a different front cover but good to see its global reach extending ! #healhycities #mentalhealth

We regret to announce the death of Professor Peter Aspinall in 2024 - OPENspace Professor Peter Aspinall We regret to announce the death of Peter Aspinall in 2024. Peter was latterly Honorary Professor at the University of Edinburgh and Emeritus Professor of Environmental Studies...

Professor Peter Aspinall, my dear mentor and colleague, who made so many significant contributions to #environmentalpsychology and the study of perception
www.openspace.eca.ed.ac.uk/we-regret-to...

as a newbie to this platform could you please add me to this section and thanks to all who post on #environmentalpsychology

Understory vegetation can promote bird sounds and reduce traffic noise in urban park soundscapes - Urban Ecosystems Natural soundscapes commonly experienced in parks are increasingly valued as an important cultural ecosystem service with the potential to promote greater mental well-being for people. Yet the quality...

New paper - Greater understory vegetation in urban parks can promote both #bird sounds 🌿 🐦 and reduce #traffic noise 🚗
Led by @konraduebel.bsky.social with @alettabonn.bsky.social, @melissamarselle.bsky.social, Jonathan Rhodes & @angelasocsci.bsky.social link.springer.com/article/10.1...

new paper just published in JEP, effects of colours and patterns on psychological restoration, street murals and colour make a difference ! #restorativecities #restorativestreets www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...