Helen Hoyle

Transdisciplinary fellow

Public mental health; health inequalities; Healthy places, healthy planet

University of Sheffield

h.e.hoyle@sheffield.ac.uk

Research Interests

Research at the intersection of people and nature informing policy and practice to prioritise human wellbeing and biodiversity, in the context of a changing climate.

My background in landscape architecture has equipped me with the tools to understand how people benefit from green infrastructure/ environments and to design green infrastructure interventions in ways that maximise the benefits to health, climate resilience and biodiversity.

This transdisciplinary fellowship provides the opportunity to apply these tools within a public health context, developing and delivering ambitious place-based public health interventions to reduce health inequalities at the population scale whilst delivering environmental co-benefits.

Practice engagement

In March 2023 Helen was invited to join the Progetto Natura Onlus BiodiverCity initiative in Milan, funded by Deloitte and the City of Milan, focusing on managing urban grasslands and meadows in Milan for climate, biodiversity and human wellbeing to advise on both research and grassland management on the ground. In October 2023 Helen presented findings from my research on ‘How can designed urban meadows help to enhance biodiversity and public wellbeing?’ to an audience of architects and agronomists in the city of Milan, as part of the BiodiverCity project. She continues to collaborate with researchers and practitioners in the group.

Public involvement and engagement

Helen continues to collaborate with Luton Parks Service and River Bank Primary School, Luton, co-producing meadows and trees workshops within the arboretum-meadow learning environment initiated in 2019 through the Futureproofing Luton Project. Helen’s SPHR TDP focusing on ‘Sensing Biodiversity’ (2023) engaged the public in developing therapeutic Sensory Nature Walks through areas of Wardown Park, Luton. Some of the groups involved included Penrose (Riverside Gardens) Penrose Roots to Recovery (a community recovery-based service/charity in Luton, NHS Bedfordshire Walking with Purpose Groups, “Wild Wellness Youth” young people in Luton (16-18) eco therapy/green therapy; Bedfordshire Vision Rehabilitation Specialists (VRS) & Vision Habilitation Specialists (VHS) Sensory Service – Therapies & Assistive Technology – Adult Social Care. Helen is planning further public health collaborations to develop green social prescribing interventions within biodiverse spaces.

Helen's career journey

Helen’s research career began in landscape architecture. After spending time as a teacher and Head of Geography in the secondary sector, Helen made a life-changing career decision, starting a master’s in landscape architecture in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the University of Sheffield in 2009. Here she conducted her earliest high-profile research, on ‘the Use of Cutting and Irrigation to Manipulate Flowering Phenology’, culminating in the delivery of the London 2012 Olympic Park perennial meadows, and an award of Highly Commended in the Dissertation category of Landscape Institute Awards. This research with Prof James Hitchmough responded to the challenge of producing a spectacular flowering display on 27^th July 2012, for the Olympic Opening Ceremony, six weeks later than the norm in SE England.

*Perennial meadows in the London 2012 Olympic Park the day before the Opening Ceremony.

Helen has since prioritised socio-ecological challenges in deprived, diverse areas. Whilst studying for her PhD focusing on ‘Human happiness v urban biodiversity? Public perception of designed urban planting in a warming climate.’, she also worked as a research associate on the Urban BESS Project (Fragments, functions and flows) –part of the Natural Environment Research Council funded Biodiversity and Ecosystem Service Sustainability (BESS) programme (2012-17). This involved project managing an urban meadows experiment and working in the key bridging role between academics across landscape architecture and animal and plant sciences and local authority land managers. She worked on the ground in Bedfordshire with parks operations teams, designed public signage and made a film and podcast about the experiment, as well as conducting research focusing on public perceptions and values in relation to meadow-style vegetation. Helen reflects that the most challenging yet rewarding aspect of this role was to facilitate communication between the multidisciplinary academic teams and practitioners, managing their often-contrasting expectations and priorities.

In 2017 Helen took up the role of Senior Lecturer in Healthy Built Environments in the Centre for Sustainable Planning and Environments at UWE Bristol, where she continued to collaborate with Luton Parks Service on the ‘Futureproofing Luton’ Public Engagement and Outreach project. Working together with diverse partners she has applied learning from earlier research projects to transform a disused mini-golf site into educational arboretum-meadow, a biodiverse outdoor learning environment supportive of human wellbeing. Recognised as a ‘flagship’ this provides insights into the potential for co-production of nature-based solutions in a deprived, ethnically diverse context.*

*On-site trees and meadows workshop in the arboretum-meadow, Wardown Park Luton, with children from River Bank Primary School, July 2023.

Whilst at UWE Bristol, Helen began to prioritise the ‘health’ focus of her research, also collaborating with parkrun, to research “Physical activity in different natural environments: Motivations, perceptions and wellbeing benefits” supported by a Vice Chancellor’s Early Career Research Award, whilst at the same time leading the ‘Healthy Cities’ module as part of the MSc in Urban Planning. Here she connected with Michael Chang, Programme Manager for Planning and Health at the Office for Health Improvement and Disparities. Michael introduced Helen to Spatial Planning for Health, and the Health and Well Being in Planning Network, and she was inspired to harness green infrastructure planning and design towards healthy places.

Helen’s return to the Department of Landscape Architecture in Sheffield in 2022 in the role of Lecturer in Healthy Urban Landscapes provided the opportunity to do this. Early in 2023, Helen was awarded a NIHR-SPHR Transdisciplinary Placement (TDP) focusing on “Sensing Biodiversity”, with Prof Liddy Goyder in SCHARR (June–December 2023). Helen’s research in landscape architecture has equipped her with the tools to understand how people interact with and benefit from green infrastructure/environments and the tools to design green infrastructure interventions in ways that maximise the benefits to health, climate resilience and biodiversity. This co-produced research gave insights into how the synergies and collaborations between place-based landscape architecture and public health might be harnessed to develop and deliver further ambitious place-based public health interventions, reducing health inequalities at the population scale whilst delivering environmental co-benefits, and thereby delivering wider health benefits. Helen presented her research at the SPHR ASM where she was awarded runner up for best oral presentation in the meeting.

Helen’s presentation at the SPHR ASM (May 2024) focused on Understanding the links between the sensory aspects of nature and health.

*Helen (second from right) on stage with the other SPHR TDP holders following their presentations at the SPHR ASM.

Building on her SPHR TDP, success, Helen will use this fellowship opportunity to apply her existing place-based expertise within a public health context., First completing a MSc in public health in the SCHARR, she will extend and deepen her public health knowledge and skills; whilst sharing place-based expertise with colleagues. Helen aims to use the fellowship opportunity to strengthen existing links across Spatial Planning and Health, and to build a transdisciplinary collaborative research-policy and practice network across place-based landscape architecture/green infrastructure and public health.