Matthew H. E. M. Browning, Ph.D.

Virtual Reality & Nature Lab Director, Clemson, SC USA

Clemson University School of Health
Research Faculty Scholar, Clemson, SC USA

Clemson University Department of Parks, Recreation &
Tourism Management Assistant Professor, Clemson, SC USA

Clemson University Department of Communications
Joint Appointment, Clemson, SC USA

National Taiwan University Landscape & Human Health
International Research Network Fellow, Taipei, Taiwan

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of
Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences Affiliate, Urbana, IL, USA

Topic: ROLE OF NATURE AND THE GREAT OUTDOORS IN THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Public awareness of the importance of nature and the Great Outdoors rose sharply during the COVID-19 pandemic. People around the world yearned to be in parks, gardens, urban forests, and blue spaces with water. Lockdown measures severed travel to stress-reducing destinations and focused interest in restorative qualities of the home and neighborhood. Long before COVID-19, planners, architects, designers, ecologists, and engineers advocated for parks and other forms of green infrastructure and its array of ecosystem services. Experimental and epidemiological research shows that nature and being outdoors can improve mental/physical health and well-being as well as catalyze social change, thus reducing socioeconomic and educational inequalities. Emerging evidence suggests that green infrastructure may protect against COVID-19 and its psychological impacts. The mechanisms underlying these myriad benefits are multi-faceted and complex. This talk will summarize the State of the Literature regarding the role of nature and the Great Outdoors in the COVID-19 global pandemic, including studies from Clemson University's Virtual Reality & Nature Lab. Comparisons will be made between established, emerging, and understudied lines of research and their implications on green infrastructure management and design.