Venetian Letter Blog
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Enjoy blog posts, interviews, books, and events on human-focused architecture and urban design from Venetian Letter. The Blog is an initiative of two
architecture professionals with an aim to encourage a dialogue between science and architecture and create places that benefit human wellbeing.
Venetian Letter Blog
4M ago
Tye Farrow, a renowned Canadian architect, began exploring the relationship between architecture and its effects on people’s health early in his career. In an interview for the Venetian Letter published last year, the architect revealed how this interest has shaped his professional journey. Now, he shares his extensive knowledge and professional insights in his newly published book.
Published in May, Farrow’s “Constructing Health. How the Built Environment Enhances Your Mind’s Health: An Exploration of Generous Architecture, Through the Neurological, Psychological, and Emotional Benefits of E ..read more
Venetian Letter Blog
4M ago
Doug Gordon. Image: Archive of Doug Gordon.
Doug Gordon is a co-host of the popular podcast The War on Cars. He is also a writer, public speaker, TV producer, safe streets advocate and passionate believer in cities for people. He has written for The Guardian, The New Republic, Salon, Curbed, Jalopnik, The New York Daily News and Streetsblog.
As a TV producer with credits for PBS, ABC, Discovery, History, Travel and NatGeo, Doug knows how to tell a good story. Through his communications consulting business, Brooklyn Spoke Media, he has advised nonprofits and mobility companies on communications ..read more
Venetian Letter Blog
4M ago
Image: John Towner
Virtual reality has become an important part of our lives. Designers, for example, now regularly create virtual reality spaces to test options with potential users of a place to be developed. All of us, regardless of profession, have probably spent some time in virtual spaces, either for fun or for work.
In a recent study, Han and colleagues from Stanford University investigated how ceiling height and floor area in immersive virtual reality environments influence the thoughts and behaviors, particularly the social interactions, of people who visit them. Their study is partic ..read more
Venetian Letter Blog
6M ago
Colin Ellard, Places of the Heart: The Psychogeography of Everyday Life.
In this review, I delve into ‘Spaces of the Heart. The Psychogeography of Everyday Life’ by Colin Ellard. The book, which is very close to my professional interests, belongs to the canon of popular science literature and is dedicated to the exploration of how buildings and urban spaces, that is the “scenery” in which our daily lives take place, affect our brains and bodies.
In discussing this topic, Colin Ellard takes a historical-evolutionary perspective, using scientific research to explain how the natural and built env ..read more
Venetian Letter Blog
6M ago
Ankita Chachra. Image: Archive of Ankita Chachra
Ankita is committed to building a future where all children and families thrive and flourish. She has over ten years of global experience working on her mission through partnerships with city agencies and the private, non-profit, and philanthropic sectors. She is the Director of Climate Program at Capita, an independent, nonpartisan think tank with a global focus. Previously, Ankita served as the Knowledge for Policy Director at Bernard Van Leer Foundation. She led a multi-functional team responsible for sharing tools, knowledge, and resources f ..read more
Venetian Letter Blog
8M ago
Image: Sasha Mk
I am riding in a taxi through Warsaw, Poland. After being nearly destroyed in World War II, the city has undergone extensive reconstruction. The taxi driver tells me: “After the war, Warsaw was rebuilt to resemble Moscow; that’s why we have grid-like, wide streets, and the traffic is not as bad as in other cities.”
But I see it differently. I can imagine Warsaw being organized in superblocks instead. The idea comes from Barcelona, where they close streets to cars between several smaller blocks.
It would create small streets pleasant to walk through, filled with taverns wh ..read more
Venetian Letter Blog
8M ago
Wooden furniture and natural windows views contribute to stress decrease during work. Image: vadim kaipov
With each new study, we learn more about the power of a well-designed work environment to affect our stress levels. In a new paper, Isabella P. Douglas of Stanford University and her colleagues examine, among other things, how the presence or absence of windows, natural materials, and diverse representation in artwork can do just that.
Many designers already prioritize creating inclusive and restorative workplaces, and this study adds to the evidence supporting that priority.
The authors f ..read more
Venetian Letter Blog
8M ago
Davide Ruzzon. Image: Archive of Davide Ruzzon.
Davide is an architect and director of TA Tuning Architecture in Milan, a team involved in applying neuroscience to the design of buildings and urban spaces. He is the founder and director of the Neuroscience Applied to Architectural Design post-graduate program at the IUAV University of Venice. Davide is also a director and co-founder of an architecture magazine Intertwining and author of the book Tuning Architecture with Humans.
Natalia Olszewska: How did you become interested in the application of neuroscience in architecture?
Davide Ruzzon: I ..read more
Venetian Letter Blog
10M ago
Participative workshop organized by fem.spaces. Image: Archive of fem.spaces
The Western civilization is increasingly describing the world in negative terms. According to a recent article in the Financial Times, the last two decades, particularly, have seen a marked increase in pessimistic literature.
And it seems to be no different when it comes to journalism and popular culture. But the actual reality of our daily lives usually looks different. Consider the following quote.
“The old benches, the sound of the brakes, the bell when requesting a stop, all while passing through the neighborhood ..read more
Venetian Letter Blog
10M ago
Sophia Schuff. Image: Archive of Sophia Schuff.
Sophia is a passionate advocate for designing cities that prioritize the well-being of both people and the planet. As a Director at Gehl, an urban design practice on a mission to create more equitable, healthy, and sustainable cities, she leads the Foundation and Philanthropy Team. In this role, she guides her team in shaping change in neighborhoods and communities towards better health. Sophia’s commitment to enhancing the quality of urban spaces stems from her background as an anthropologist and deep understanding of the human experience within ..read more