Therapeutic Landscapes: An Evidence-Based Approach to Designing Healing Gardens and Restorative Outdoor Spaces

Edited by my professor Clare Cooper Marcus and fellow alumni Naomi Sachs, both of whom I had the privilege to accompany during the a 2011 ASLA San Diego Healing Garden Tour. The book is described as follows: "This comprehensive and authoritative guide offers an evidence-based overview of healing gardens and therapeutic landscapes from planning to post-occupancy evaluation. It provides general guidelines for designers and other stakeholders in a variety of projects, as well as patient-specific guidelines covering twelve categories ranging from burn patients, psychiatric patients, to hospice and Alzheimer's patients, among others. Sections on participatory design and funding offer valuable guidance to the entire team, not just designers, while a planting and maintenance chapter gives critical information to ensure that safety, longevity, and budgetary concerns are addressed."

The first edition of this book, which is now 15 years old, inspired my post-graduate fellowship research on thirteen healing gardens. It's a humbling joy to see this inspiration come full circle and be able to contribute two case studies (Bonner Hospice and The Pavilion - Senior Care Home) and several photos. This book is an overwhelming statement of compassion and love by so many wonderful souls. May it long inspire communities of care to integrate nature and health!