Tuesday Talks (35) | DEPARTMENT of CITY AND REGIONAL PLANNING

April 22, 2025 / Tuesday / 12.30 PM

METU Faculty of Architecture, Kubbealtı

Associate Professor Susana Alves

Sapienza University of Rome
Department of Social and Developmental Psychology

Topic: Understanding the psychological and health-related benefits of nature: Implications for biophilic design in urban settings

How can we use theories and research findings from Environmental Psychology to design spaces that afford a better quality of life and contribute to physical and psychological health? How can nature (i.e., biophilic design) be incorporated into the design and management of urban spaces in a sustainable way for human and non-human actors? This seminar explores these questions by presenting diverse studies examining how direct and indirect types of engagement with nature can provide a range of benefits (e.g., environmental, cognitive, physiological) to mitigate harm from environmental stressors, restore attentional capabilities decreased through stress, and help instore or develop new coping strategies and abilities for self-regulation of emotions. The seminar presents examples from research in diverse settings (e.g., campus settings; neighborhood environments) addressing people’s relationship to outdoor and green spaces to identify key affordances (i.e., possibilities of action provided by spaces) and significant barriers shaping people’s relation to nature. Two key messages are: (1) the need to understand how to translate research into the design (of spaces and interventions) that make a difference in providing healthier and more sustainable environments for people; (2) the need to consider an ecological view of perception that takes human and non-humans into account in the effort to manage urban spaces that better adapt to climate change.

Susana Alves

Susana Alves is an environmental psychologist working in the Department of Psychology of Developmental and Socialization Processes at Sapienza University of Rome. She holds a BA and MA in Psychology and a PhD in Architecture. Dr. Alves’ research examines how natural landscapes can promote health and psychological well-being, with a focus on diverse groups of people, including older adults, migrants, and urban residents under stress. Her past research addresses quality-of-life issues in neighbourhood outdoor spaces as well as in institutional settings for older individuals, where she assessed people’s landscape perceptions and activities. Strong components of her work include the use of a multi-method approach to research, the emphasis on policy-related social problems, and the aim to promote culturally meaningful social and environmental interventions for diverse groups of people.

Recent topics of research involve the study of the social and environmental aspects of risk behaviours related to natural disasters, the exploration of the intangible aspects of historic urban landscapes, and the examination of atmospheres in architecture. Dr. Alves has engaged in research and teaching activities in environmental psychology, landscape architecture, and architecture in Brazil, US, UK, Turkey, and Italy.

Last Updated:

16/04/2025 - 12:24