Peter Kahn on Nature Interaction, Wildness in Cities

Michelle Ma · UW News · June 3, 2016

Featuring Peter Kahn, Nature and Health researcher and Steering Committee member

University of Washington professor Peter Kahn recently co-authored an opinion piece in the journal Science about the importance of interacting with nature in urban areas. UW Today asked Kahn a few more questions about the broader implications of his work.

Q: Why is it so important for people in cities to connect more deeply with nature?

PK: As a species we came of age with nature, and still today need that connection to do well, physically and psychologically. Just look around — and we see a lot of dis-ease. For example, about a third of people in the U.S. are obese. About 10 percent of people take antidepressants. The research literature supports what I think we all know intuitively: we’re our more vibrant, healthy selves when we live in relation with the natural world.