Context

Retreet is a platform that offers healing benefits through nature experiences for individuals living in Toronto. It is commonly known that as humans, we are meant to connect with nature. There are many forms of critical and theoretical research that show that nature offers an array of healing benefits that can offer positive effects, both mentally and physically. Retreet has been developed using an ongoing iterative design approach and features a sequence of city trails that are made up of natural spaces found in the city, mixed in with urban elements like local neighborhoods, restaurants, and coffee shops. These city trails offer a new experience and add to the content of curated walking tours that are currently made for the city of Toronto.

Japanese Tree Therapy and Attention Restoration Theory have provided a theoretical foundation for my research. Courtney Ackerman explains Attention Restoration Theory as a method that can be used as a possible form of self-care which is what Retreet is offering through the various nature experiences. This theory is based on the restoration of our attention, our energy, and ourselves through either viewing or interacting with nature. There are four types of attention along the way to restoration, which are clearer head or concentration, mental fatigue recovery, soft fascination or interest, reflection, and restoration. Along with this theory comes Nature Deficit disorder which is a term for summarizing the suffering that may be endured with the increase of disconnection between indoor and outdoor living. This term is noted to highlight that as a part of our evolutionary heritage, human beings have a profound need for time in outdoor spaces, and suffer if time and engagement isn’t being met. There are many aspects of modern-day living that can harm our mental health. Urban living is one of them, mainly due to the lack of access to nature. By engaging with local greenspaces, this concept acts as an accessible and sustainable means of self-care.

The concept of nature therapy can be explained as initially being in a stressed state and moving to the restorative effects of nature. While nature therapy is not as highly prioritized for many of those living the urban lifestyle, the same isn’t necessarily said in Japanese culture. Shinrin-Yoku (forest bathing) or which is also known as Japanese Tree Therapy, is a traditional Japanese practice of immersing oneself in nature in order to reap the healing benefits that come from being in nature and also as a means of preventative health care (Hanson et. al). This form of therapy is a similar concept as Attention Restoration Theory. As summarized in Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review, a study was conducted to test the effects of Japanese Tree therapy on 498 Japanese residents who were suffering from acute and chronic stress. The results of those participants reported the greatest reduction in subjective feelings of hostility, depression, and anxiety, as a direct result of time spent in forested environments. One of the main interactions in Retreet includes parks located in Toronto that are ideal locations for Forest Bathing. Some of these parks are High Park, Evergreen Brickworks, and The Humber Bay Park. These parks are all easily accessible via TTC. This is a really important aspect of my work because of the benefits that are brought on through Forest Bathing, are similar replenishing benefits as Attention Restoration Theory. The theme of connecting with nature on a regular basis is one of the most important elements of my work. Toronto is not a city that is well known for being overly outdoorsy like Vancouver or Ottawa. Because of this, connecting with nature on a regular basis is not as popular here as it is in a lot of other areas in Canada. Even though this is the case, it does not mean that Toronto doesn’t have a lot of natural environments throughout the city that can be better utilized. By engaging with these natural spaces, rejuvenating health benefits can be gained the same way as an individual could gain from spending time in an actual forest. 

The research and process behind Retreet also stems from a collection of previously created work that focuses on curated walks and nature experiences. The work from Imagining Toronto offers a point of perspective of storytelling through urban engagement. This is a key to thriving in the city and is one of the reasons why the trails that I built are connected to urban elements within the city. As said in Imagining Toronto, Toronto can be thought of as a city of stories that accumulate in fragments between the aggressive thrust of its downtown towers and the primordial dream of its ravines. In these fragments, we find narratives of unfinished journeys and incomplete arrivals, chronicles of all the violence, poverty, ambition and hope that give shape to this city and those who live in it (Harris). This theme plays into the context of the city trails found in Retreet. The trails not only exist to offer exposure to nature but also act as a means for the storytelling of local experiences that add to the overall narrative of the city. To navigate and understand the city, you have to interact with all the dimensions of the city. By experiencing multiple landscapes of the city, rather than the over-saturated tourist areas, individuals are able to connect with the city on a more organic level. The trails are created to offer users a recommended guide of certain sections of the city. While this is true, users are given the opportunity to customize their experience by selecting certain recommendations and generating their own map to follow.

The purpose of Retreet is to heal and move forward while leading a positive urban lifestyle. While this conceptual approach of framing the trails as a curated tour in order to experience nature and the city, more of Retreet’s research comes from examples of previous work made with the intent of using nature for healing purposes. Tree Canada’s National Healing Forests project is created by Peter Croal and Patricia Stirbys. Their concept offers a vision of building a network of forests throughout the country where survivors, families, and all Canadians, could come together to heal, reflect, meditate, and to better understand the history of the Residential School System. Some concepts for the healing forests are offering an outdoor gathering place for ceremonies, teachings, meditation, and prayer, as well as giving space for planting trees by surviving families of a deceased child, and a missing and murdered woman or girl. These forests include walking trails, monuments, and memorials. Although the reasons for healing are vastly different, the concept of the Healing Forests shows that nature can be used for healing while also promoting connection and developing a community. Tree Canada's work also notes the positive results found in many Asian cultures through the practice of forest bathing and hopes to promote this healing through nature here in Canada.

During the development of Retreet, consideration has also gone into the future of the application. While this work is a conclusion for undergraduate studies, these types of applications can be endlessly improved in the future. In the later part of the development process, the idea of auditory guides were considered. As found in Banff Audio Walk, Janet Cardiff’s Forest Walk is an excellent example of an artist’s approach to early, low-fidelity prototyping. These recordings offer her viewers a very abstract approach in receiving directions. Taking this audio documentation approach gives the viewer the opportunity to take the walk themselves as they are guided through audio-based triggers as a means of direction. The use of audio directions can also be found in the work of Murmur. Its official mission of this project is to allow more voices to be integrated into the narrative of the city of Toronto. For viewers engaging in this work, they are able to understand their urban surroundings as they learned about the history of various areas of the city, through audio recordings. While the overall theme and concept of providing nature experiences through curated walking trails and promoting specific parks for forest bathing remain the final outlook for the work, considering these methods offers further resources to help the user generate their own customizable experience.

Bibliography

Ackerman, Courtney. “What Is Kaplan's Attention Restoration Theory (ART)? Benefits Criticisms.” PositivePsychology.com, 10 July 2019, positivepsychology.com/attention-restoration-theory/.

Adams, Rachel, et al. Wanderlust: Actions, Traces, Journeys, 1967-2017. University at Buffalo Art Gallieries, Buffalo, New York, 2017.

Bratman, Gregory N., et al. “Nature and Mental Health: An Ecosystem Service Perspective.” Science Advances, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1 July 2019, advances.sciencemag.org/content/5/7/eaax0903. 

Cardiff, Janet. Forest Walk. 1991, Banff Centre for the Arts, Canadian Artist in Residence Program.

Croal, Peter. “National Healing Forests Project Launched Across Canada.” Tree Canada, treecanada.ca/blog/national-healing-forests-project-launched-across-canada/.

Hansen, Margaret M., et al. “Shinrin-Yoku (Forest Bathing) and Nature Therapy: A State-of-the-Art Review.” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 14, no. 8, 2017, p. 851., doi:10.3390/ijerph14080851.

Harris, Amy Lavender. Imagining Toronto. Mansfield Press, 2010.

Nielson, Jakcob. “Iterative Design of User Interfaces.” Nielsen Norman Group, www.nngroup.com/articles/iterative-design/.