Health in Relation to Landscape Architecture

The International Baccalaureate Diploma asks students to think less like test-takers and more like researchers, designers, and global citizens. Few requirements embody that shift more than the Extended Essay—a 4,000-word inquiry that begins with a student’s curiosity and ends with the discipline of discovery. The project demands patience, skepticism, and the confidence to defend an argument built on evidence rather than assumption.

For Sergio Diaz ’25, the question was as much about humanity as design: How do the spaces around us influence the ways we feel, connect, and live? Through the lens of landscape architecture, he explored how green spaces, pedestrian pathways, and civic environments might nurture wellbeing as powerfully as medicine itself. The topic usually belongs to graduate research, yet Sergio approached it with the composure of someone already in the field.

Now a first-year student at the University of Kentucky studying landscape architecture, he sees how the process changed him. “IB didn’t just teach me content,” he says. “It taught me how to research, how to write, how to back up what I think.”

What follows is a glimpse of the kind of thinking that grows when students are empowered not only to understand the world—but to shape what comes next.

Health in Relation to Landscape Architecture

Highlights of the IB Extended Essay by Sergio Diaz ’25 

Introduction

Landscape Architecture is the design of outdoor spaces, most commonly through parks and gardens in relationship to the area around them. Landscape architecture is most noticeable in cities, where the lack of natural environment highlights the few places that include it. A park or garden that exhibits good landscape architecture should feel inviting, have high visibility, and be well-lit to ensure safety. Poorly designed spaces fail these criteria and may be inaccessible, especially for people with physical disabilities. While landscape architecture extends to suburban or rural areas, this essay focuses on inner-city spaces, where limited natural areas have a significant impact on residents.

Mental and physical health are both important topics to consider when evaluating the impact of urban environments. Physical health is easier to understand and quantify, but mental health—defined as emotional and psychological well-being—is equally essential. Both can be influenced by the spaces people inhabit. This paper speaks specifically to the relationship between landscape architecture and mental and physical health in inner cities.

How Landscape Architecture Impacts Mental Health

Whether considering long hikes at a national park or a walk around the block, being outdoors has a positive effect on mental health. Phrases such as “getting a breath of fresh air” reflect this common experience. Research shows that even brief exposure to nature improves mood and self-esteem. In cities, access to nature is limited, making parks and green spaces vital. Proximity matters: the closer people live to green areas, the more often they visit, and the greater the benefits for mental well-being.

Urban parks also allow for social interaction, relaxation, and civic engagement. Thoughtfully designed spaces provide residents a chance to connect with their community and express themselves, offering both social and emotional benefits. Even small green areas can provide restorative experiences if they are accessible and well-maintained.

How Landscape Architecture Impacts Physical Health

Landscape architecture also supports physical health beyond encouraging exercise. Parks provide safe spaces for walking, running, and cycling, while trees and vegetation reduce the urban heat island effect, where hard surfaces make cities hotter than surrounding areas. Green spaces lower temperatures, improve air quality, and reduce heat-related illnesses such as dehydration and heat exhaustion. Its use in cities benefits the entire population that has access to it, whether directly or indirectly. The way that landscape architecture is integrated into inner cities can be the difference between living a healthy and an unhealthy life. 

Urban greenery benefits all residents equally, regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity. Studies show that neighborhoods with more green space have lower rates of cardiovascular disease and overall mortality. The design of these spaces is as important as the quantity, as thoughtful planning ensures maximum usage and health benefits.

Design Methods

Landscape architects use evidence-based methods to ensure their designs maximize both mental and physical health benefits. Evidence-based landscape architecture relies on research, past project outcomes, and behavioral studies to guide design decisions. This ensures that spaces are functional, safe, and restorative rather than based solely on aesthetics.

Thoughtful designs include walking paths, seating, shaded areas, and greenery to encourage activity, relaxation, and social interaction. Accessibility is also a priority, so all residents can benefit from the space. Parks and green spaces designed with these principles improve physical health, reduce stress, and promote overall well-being.

Cities around the world are now starting to realize the positive benefits that green spaces and nature can have on people, yet they lack the knowledge of what or how to do it; this is where landscape architects come in. A landscape architect has the resources and the knowledge necessary to be able to convey the mental and physical health benefits through their designs. 

During the research process for this paper, interviewing Jeff Davis, a landscape architect, was an insightful value add to the paper. Davis works for an architecture, engineering and design firm, HOK, as the leader of the planning, urban design and landscape architecture in the St. Louis studio. One project specifically, was as an example of a design where he had to consider the physical and mental health of a population at a government complex in Honk Cong, China. The government building itself was designed by architect Rocco Yim while the public park that goes under the building and out to the lakefront was designed by Jeff. By giving the population a place where they can have access to around 180,000 square feet of green space, it has the very obvious effect of promoting physical activity in a downtown urban center, giving access to nature for thousands of people daily. Being in a government space, there is a mental health benefit to the population of Hong Kong because it provides them public land to express their opinions and beliefs. 

Challenges for Implementation in Cities

Despite their benefits, landscape architecture projects in cities face challenges. Minimum parking requirements occupy large areas that could be converted into parks. Developers often undervalue green spaces, allocating only a small portion of project budgets to landscaping. These limitations can prevent the creation of fully effective urban green spaces. Addressing these challenges requires recognizing the long-term benefits of green spaces and integrating them intentionally into urban planning.

Conclusion

Landscape architecture has significant benefits for mental and physical health in urban environments. Even basic green spaces can improve well-being, but thoughtful, evidence-based design maximizes impact. Cities should prioritize accessible and well-planned outdoor areas, replacing underutilized lots with parks and gardens that encourage activity, relaxation, and community connection. Urban green spaces are more than decoration—they are tools for creating healthier, happier, and more equitable communities.

Sergio’s essay has been adapted for online reading. To view his full work—with citations, maps, data visualizations, and additional research—click here.