Healing Gardens: Therapeutic Benefits and Design Recommendations

Although the healing qualities of nature have been recognized and relied on for centuries as a valuable part of convalescence, recent history has seen nature′s therapeutic role virtually eclipsed by the technological dominance of modern medicine. As the twentieth century comes to a close and the medical community reacknowledges the importance of the environment to recovery, the healing garden is emerging as a supplement to drug– or technology–based treatments. Healing Gardens celebrates this renewed interest in nature as a catalyst for healing and renewal by examining the different therapeutic benefits of healing gardens and offering essential design guidance from experts in the field. Unique and comprehensive, Healing Gardens provides up–to–date coverage of research findings, relevant design principles and approaches, and best practice examples of different types of healing gardens. It begins by exploring what current research reveals about the connection between nature, human stress reduction, and medical outcomes. It then presents case studies and design guidelines for outdoor spaces in medical settings that include general, psychiatric, and children′s hospitals as well as hospices, nursing homes, and Alzheimer′s facilities. Historical information, literature reviews, and studies on use are included for each type of outdoor space covered, offering important insights into what works in healing gardens–and what doesn′t. Generously supplemented with photographs, site plans, anecdotes, and more, Healing Gardens is an invaluable practical guide for landscape architects and others involved in creating and maintaining medical facilities, and an extremely useful reference for those responsible for patient care. A unique and comprehensive look at the therapeutic effects and design of healing gardens For more and more people, the shortest road to recovery is the one that leads through a healing garden. Combining up–to–date information on the therapeutic benefits of healing gardens with practical design guidance from leading experts in the field, Healing Gardens is an important resource for landscape architects and others working in this emerging area. With the help of site plans, photographs, and more, it presents design guidelines and case studies for outdoor spaces in a range of medical settings, including: ∗ Acute care general hospitals. ∗ Psychiatric hospitals. ∗ Children′s hospitals. ∗ Nursing homes. ∗ Alzheimer′s facilities. ∗ Hospices.

Introduction: Historic and Cultural Overview (C. Marcus & M. Barnes). Effects of Gardens on Health Outcomes: Theory and Research (R. Ulrich). Design Philosophy (M. Barnes & C. Marcus). Acute Care General Hospitals: Typology of Outdoor Spaces (C. Marcus). Acute Care General Hospitals: Case Studies and Design Guidelines (C. Marcus & M. Barnes). Psychiatric Hospitals (N. Sachs). Healing Gardens for Children (R. Moore). Nursing Home Gardens (D. McBride). Alzheimer′s Treatment Gardens (J. Zeisel & M. Tyson). Hospice Gardens (C. Marcus). Getting it Done (M. Barnes & C. Marcus). Conclusions and Prospects (T. Hartig, et al.). Index.

CLARE COOPER MARCUS is Professor Emerita of Architecture and Landscape Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley, and Principal of Healing Landscapes. MARNI BARNES is a psychotherapist and practicing landscape architect in Palo Alto, California, and a principal of Healing Landscapes.