A healing landscape for Indianapolis, Indiana : creating mental resiliency through a restorative landscape

The principals and theories of therapeutic landscapes are based on the benefits nature has on a person’s health. This study will identify what elements of nature are beneficial to a person’s mental health. In other words, it will discuss how the physical environment effects a person’s perspective, the meaning that they find in nature, and the physical effects of being immersed in nature for a significant amount of time. This study will also describe the elements of spiritual landscapes and how those elements collaborate to form environments conducive to healing. Spiritual landscapes with therapeutic aspects could be accessible in public residential settings as restorative or preventive landscapes if they adhere to the principals of therapeutic design. Based on this idea, this study will also address how spiritual elements can be used to combat the common negative aspects of residential settings in urban environments. Finally, the project will conclude with a comprehensive landscape design for a site in Indianapolis, Indiana.Honors CollegeThesis (B.?