SWMD Streetscape and Park Transformation Become an Insider
Curious to take a closer look at the SWMD Transformation Project? Check out our previous newsletter editions, delivered quarterly to our project network, and project updates, a monthly method of communication with our partners, below.
Stay up to date with the team's progress in design and construction, learn more about our data-driven design approach, our collaboration with partners, upcoming community events, and more, by signing up to receive email updates straight your inbox 4x a year, with occasional special updates and announcements!
Highlights
June 2022 Newsletter
As we place sensors throughout the District to capture thermal comfort data, and soon begin Phase 2 of Equitable Engagement to gain feedback from District users on streetscape and park amenities, its important to revisit our roots. Explore how and why we use biophilia to inform the design process. Also, learn about the SWMD team’s […]
Biophilia and the Importance of Designing for Human Health
Biophilia, a term coined by social psychologist Erich Fromm and popularized by biologist E.O. Wilson, is the philosophy that humans have an innate, biological affinity for the natural world. Importantly, research shows that there is a positive influence of greenery on human psychological and cognitive functioning; by using plants and their inherent shapes, colors, forms, […]
Biophilia Workshops Recap
As we embark on Phase 2 of the equitable engagement component of our project, consulting District users about streetscape and park amenities and programming, it seems important to revisit our experience with biophilic design and the consulting firm, Terrapin Bright Green. Terrapin is a consulting firm that specializes in design, whole systems thinking, and research […]
May 2022 Newsletter
Covid has not only been linked recently to healthcare worker burnout, but also negatively to the mental health of our youth. Evidence continues to show that experiencing nature and getting outside are great ways to combat the negative impacts of Covid and our sedentary lifestyles. Learn how these things impact healthcare workers and youth in […]
SWMD Transformation Latest Media
Since the project's inception, local and state media coverage have helped to tell the story and highlight the progress of the SWMD Streetscape and Park Transformation Project. Because of its use of evidence-based design, the project is poised to "...teach the rest of the country how to design for urban heat... [starting] with data."-Jeffrey Ray, CBS DFW Meteorologist
