Academics love a good conference, and the Annual Conference at the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) was a really good conference. From the initial submission of presentations for review, through peer approvals and invitations, to the coordination of registration, rooms, food, and welcoming people on the day, the organisation was excellent. In addition, what better preparation could there be for presenting and discussing urban greenspaces and health than a morning walk across Hyde Park to Kensington?
The Mapping Nature for Health theme, sponsored by Geographies of Health and Wellbeing Research Group, provided a welcome opportunity for researchers and practitioners to present and discuss a range of topics, including equity of access, nature-based interventions, greenspace infrastructure, and the benefits of physical activity in natural spaces. Throughout the sessions, there was a consistent theme of equity and justice in the presentations, highlighting the need to ensure the benefits of spending time in natural and green spaces are extended to those who can benefit most.
My presentation focused on the need for dynamic exposure measurement, collaborating with colleagues at University of Glasgow both to more comprehensively assess where people access potentially health-improving spaces, but also to support improved specificity and precision of assessing effectiveness interventions and nature-based solutions. As well as urging people to move from an aggregated and static measurement towards a more individual and dynamic approach, I proposed using calibration as an affordable method of implementing these improvements. I was also pleased to support my PhD student in her presentation of the first major element of her thesis, investigating the dose-response relationship between greenspace exposure and mental health improvement here at Oxford Brookes University.
There was a clear appetite among the presenters and attendees to look at collaborations moving forwards and potentially building a network of researchers, and I’m looking forward to seeing how this develops.