Institute Seminar Series: Integrating nature for urban well-being: from tree canopies to window views

Speaker

Dr Elsadek is visiting Surrey as an Institute for Advanced Studies Fellow.

Abstract

In rapidly urbanizing societies, everyday contact with natural environments is increasingly diminished, contributing to elevated stress levels and growing public health concerns. This lecture examines how re-integrating nature into urban living environments—ranging from street-level tree canopies to high-rise window views—can effectively promote psychological restoration and physiological relaxation. Drawing on empirical evidence from electroencephalography (EEG), heart rate variability (HRV), and validated psychological scales, the talk demonstrates how exposure to urban green elements can function as a form of preventive health infrastructure. The findings provide an evidence-based framework for understanding the mechanisms through which urban nature supports human well-being and offer practical implications for designing healthier, more resilient, and more sustainable cities.

Biography

Mohamed Elsadek is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Landscape Architecture, College of Architecture and Urban Planning, Tongji University, and has been recognized as a top 2% scientist worldwide (2024–2025). He received his PhD from Chiba University, Japan, where he also served as a visiting researcher, and subsequently completed postdoctoral research at Tongji University.

His research focuses on landscape plants and environmental health, urban green spaces and public health, and urban greening for sustainable development. He has led and participated in multiple national research projects and has published more than 35 SCI-indexed papers in leading international journals, including Building and Environment, Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, Environment and Behavior, Indoor and Built Environment, and Health Environments Research & Design Journal.

His work has contributed significantly to understanding the mechanisms by which urban natural environments influence human physiological and psychological health, advancing both theory and practice in health-oriented urban and landscape design.

Contact us

Email ifs@surrey.ac.uk for the MS Teams link and with any questions.