WASHINGTON - InformeDesign® has released a new issue of Implications, a monthly newsletter on design and human behavior, that addresses the "other" green design issue: the basic human need for natural environments that includes trees, grass, and other plants.
Evidence suggests that much like a vitamin, humans need a regular "dose" of exposure to green environments—"Vitamin G"—to maintain optimal health.
"While far from conclusive, the available evidence suggests that designers should think of the benefits of green places, elements, and views as operating much like a vitamin," state authors Dr. Frances Kuo, an associate professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Eric Miller. They cite research showing that people deprived of green environments are more likely to experience poorer health, more medical symptoms and higher mortality rates. Moreover, studies have found increased psychological and sociological ills related to a lack of green spaces and views.
The type of greenery or outdoor setting does not appear to be important. "Vitamin G seems to be beneficial regardless of its physical form," say Kuo and Miller. More important is being exposed to frequent, regular "doses" of Vitamin G, and the authors give designers many specific suggestions for maximizing people's exposure.
View or download a copy of this issue from the InformeDesign Web site.
InformeDesign is the first searchable database of design and human behavior research on the Web. The site currently contains nearly 1,900 "practitioner-friendly" Research Summaries of findings from research literature transformed from more than 170 scholarly journals related to design and human behavior. All services on the InformeDesign Web site are available at no cost to visitors.
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ASID is a community of people-designers, industry representatives, educators and students-committed to interior design. Through education, knowledge sharing, advocacy, community building and outreach, the Society strives to advance the interior design profession and, in the process, to demonstrate and celebrate the power of design to positively change people's lives. Its more than 40,000 members engage in a variety of professional programs and activities through a network of 48 chapters throughout the United States and Canada. To learn more about ASID, visit www.asid.org.
The University of Minnesota is one of the most comprehensive public universities in the United States and has been ranked among the top three public universities. It is a state land-grant university with a strong tradition of research, education, and public service with faculty of national and international reputation. The College of Design unites programs in architecture, clothing design, graphic design, interior design, housing studies, landscape architecture, and retail merchandising creating a nationally distinctive, multidisciplinary college engaged in research, teaching, creative production, and public engagement. Go to www.cdes.umn.edu to learn more.
