Recetas
Nature, Wellbeing, Connections in cities
Co-creating, implementing, and evaluating Nature-Based Social Prescribing (NBSP) solutions to combat loneliness and promote emotional well-being among vulnerable urban adults.
Consortium of 13 institutions from 9 countries
Reduce loneliness in urban contexts
Nature as a therapeutic pathway
What is Recetas ?
A green project to reduce loneliness
Can the prescription of social activities in natural spaces reduce feelings of loneliness and improve quality of life in urban contexts?
The RECETAS (Re-imagining Environments for Connection and Engagement: Testing Actions for Social Prescribing in Natural Spaces) project aims to provide answers.
Our consortium, composed of 13 institutions from 9 different countries, is using multidisciplinary approaches to implement Nature Based Social Prescribing (NBSP). We are carrying out three observational studies and three randomised controlled trials in six cities worldwide: Barcelona, Marseille, Prague, Helsinki, Cuenca (Ecuador) and Melbourne.
The project, which began in March 2021, will last 5 years. It is financed by a 5 million euro grant from the European Union through its Horizon 2020 programme.
What is Nature Based Social Prescribing (NBSP)?
Nature-Based Social Prescribing (NBSP) is a non-medical, community-based referral approach that connects individuals with nature-based experiences, services and resources in order to support their mental and physical well-being. It bridges public health, urban nature, and social connectedness, transforming nature into a tangible health and social asset.
The Healing Power of Nature
Human health is deeply tied to nature.
Research shows that exposure to greenspaces (parks, forests, and community gardens) is associated with reduced levels of stress, anxiety and depression, as well as improved cardiovascular health, cognitive functioning and overall subjective well-being.
These benefits stem from biological and psychological processes,
like lowering cortisol and restoring attention.
The Friends in Nature Approach
The Friends in Nature (FiN) method is a nature-based social prescribing intervention designed to alleviate loneliness and promote social connection across diverse urban populations.
Connection Is In Our Nature
Discover a documentary telling the story of humans, loneliness, social prescribing, and nature as a healer.
The full documentary, Connection Is in Our Nature, arrives Spring 2026.
Marseille
Barcelona
Prague
Helsinki
Melbourne
Cuenca
Connection Is In Our Nature
Discover a documentary telling the story of humans, loneliness, social prescribing, and nature as a healer.
The full documentary, Connection Is in Our Nature, arrives Spring 2026.
Marseille
Barcelona
Prague
Helsinki
Melbourne
Cuenca