AWARDS

• 2018: Visiting Professor at Sichuan University, Chengdu.

• 2014: Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Visiting Fellowship, hosted by Chiba University.

• 2013: Visiting Professor at Harbin Institute of Technology

• 2008: Visiting Fellow at Oxford Centre for Christianity and Culture, Regents Park College, Oxford University.

• 2003: Her Majesty the Queens’ Garden Party at Buckingham Palace in recognition of work Chairing the Steering Group for the Restoration and Regeneration of Sheffield Botanical Gardens.

• 2000: Nominated for the Association of European Schools of Planning Aesop Award by the Editorial Board of the Journal of Urban Design

• 1997: Landscape Institute Research Award

• 1982: Winner of the Sunday Telegraph Town Garden Design Competition

RESEARCH PROJECTS

Marsden Funded research about Negotiating Childhood in Pacific Rim countries (2022-2024)

Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Visiting Fellowship to revisit children’s outdoor environments in northeast Japan where the triple disaster took place in 2011 (2014)

Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation funded visit to understand Children’s Lost Landscapes following the triple disaster in north-east Japan in 2011 (2012)

Big Lottery funded Living with Nature (2011-2014) project working with communities in 24 social housing areas in Sheffield to improve the quality of the green spaces and play areas.

Social Housing and Play: Research in Practice (2008-2011) working with local authorities across England.

Neighbourhoods Green and Natural England (2010-2011)

Short Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Fairplay (2010) to develop a design for this charity who work with disabled children and their families

Knowledge Transfer Partnership with Timberplay (2006 – 2008), who import high quality wooden play equipment form Germany. The project embedded a landscape design team within the company to design playgrounds with more natural elements – the team still employs graduates from our department.

Assessment of Green Space Strategies (2005) for the National Audit Office.

Assessing the Links between local authority expenditure and the quality of urban green spaces (2004) for CABR Space.

Value of Public Space (2004) for CABE Space

Disabled and non-disabled children´s free play in the school playground (2002 – 2004) funded by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

Improving Urban Parks, Play Areas and Green Spaces, (2002 - 2004) which fed into the government’s Urban Green Spaces Taskforce.

Breaking the downward spiral: current trends and future responses of children to their town centres (1994 – 1995) and facing the future: towards a greater understanding of children and their urban environments, (1995 – 1996). These were two consecutive research projects funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC). They developed an understanding of the perception of and use that children aged 6-11 made of their town centres.

As a result of this research Helen developed an interest in skateboarders and how they use urban open spaces. In recent years this has resulted in an understanding of how society seeks to control skateboarder’s use of civic open spaces, in city centres in the north of England.

RESEARCH

My research focuses on both strategic issues of green and open spaces and people’s relationship with those open spaces in their daily lives. These two strands do not sit alone but often relate to each other.

The former has been epitomised by funded research for a range of government departments and national bodies such as the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, CABE Space, Groundwork UK, Natural England and Research in Practice. This work is often policy-focused and directed at national and local government and other organisations.

Research and Knowledge Transfer activities about people, and the green and open spaces of their daily lives, has been funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), The Joseph Rowntree Foundation (JRF), the Trade Strategy Board (TSB), the Daiwa Anglo-Japanese Foundation and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).

Within this work there has been a focus on children’s outdoor environments. The term Kit Fence Carpet playground to describe a traditional playground is now used both nationally and internationally (Woolley, 2007, 2008).

In addition I have an increasing interest in how adults control or facilitate children’s use of outdoor spaces whether this is skateboarders who may be constrained by social, legal and physical means (Woolley et al., 2011) or children in the post-disaster area of Japan where outdoor space has not been made specifically available to them in the temporary housing areas (Woolley and Kinoshita, in press).

PUBLICATIONS

Books

Woolley HE, Armitage M, Bureau NC & Foundation JR (2005) Inclusion of disabled children in primary school playgrounds.

Woolley H (2003) Urban Open Spaces. Taylor & Francis.

Journal articles

Woolley, H., Somerset-Ward, A., Bradshaw, K. and Tang, P. (2022) Living with Nature:

Improving Urban Green Spaces for Children’s Play. Landscape Architecture. 29 (2): 84-97.       “与自然共生”：英国儿童游戏场地改造 伍利·海伦，索美列斯特- 沃德·阿利松，布拉德肖·凯特，汤湃. 与自然共生：英国儿童游戏场地改造[J]. 风景园林，2022，29 (2)：84-97.

Woolley H (2021) Beyond the fence: constructed and found spaces for children's outdoor play in natural and human-induced disaster contexts – lessons from north-east Japan, and Za'atari refugee camp in Jordan. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 56.

Woolley, H (2021) 海伦·伍利,汤湃 & 刘孝仪.(2021).儿童户外空间使用体验四维研究——以英国谢菲尔德三代人为例. 国际城市规划(01),24-29. Child Friendly Cities: Changes in four dimensions in children’s use of outdoor environments over three generations in Sheffield England. Urban Planning International. 36 (1): 24-29. doi:10.19830/j.upi.2020.388

Xu, M., Shen, Y., Liao, Y., and Woolley, H. (2020). Evaluation Indicators of Children's Mobility Safety in the Community Environment Based on English Literature Review. Landscape Architecture Frontiers, 8(2), 10-25. https://doi.org/10.15302/J-LAF-1-020026

Bozkurt M & Woolley H (2020) Let’s splash: Children’s active and passive water play in constructed and natural water features in urban green spaces in Sheffield. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening.

Bozkurt M, Woolley HE & Dempsey N (2019) Children’s interactions with water in city centres: a case study from Sheffield, UK. Landscape Research, 44(6), 671-687.

Wang X, Woolley HE, Tang Y, Liu H & Luo Y (2018) Young children's and adult's perceptions of natural play spaces: A case study of Chengdu, southwestern China. Cities, 72(Part A), 173-180.

Woolley H (2015) Slip sliding away: a case study of the impact of public sector cuts on some of the services supporting children's play opportunities in the city of Sheffield in the north of England. International Journal of Play, 4(3), 246-251.

Woolley HE & Griffin E (2015) Decreasing experiences of home range, outdoor spaces, activities and companions: changes across three generations in Sheffield in north England. Children's Geographies, 13(6), 677-691.

Woolley H & Kinoshita I (2014) Space, People, Interventions and Time (SPIT): A Model for Understanding Children's Outdoor Play in Post-Disaster Contexts Based On a Case Study from the Triple Disaster Area of Tohoku in North-East Japan. Children and Society.

Shi W & Woolley H (2014) Managing for Multifunctionality in Urban Open Spaces: Approaches for Sustainable Development. Journal of Urban Management, 3(1-2), 3-21.

Abdullah A, Hedayati Marzbali M, Bahauddin A, Maliki NZ & Woolley H (2013) Testing for Individual Factors for the Fear of Crime Using a Multiple Indicator-Multiple Cause Model. European Journal on Criminal Policy and Research, 1-22.

Abdullah A, Hedayati Marzbali M, Bahauddin A, Maghsoodi Tilaki MJ & Woolley H (2013) Territorial functioning and victimisation: conceptualisation and scale development. Crime, Law and Social Change, 1-20.

Woolley H & Lowe A (2013) Exploring the Relationship between Design Approach and Play Value of Outdoor Play Spaces. Landscape Research, 38(1), 53-74.

Woolley H (2012) Now Being Social: The Barrier of Designing Outdoor Play Spaces for Disabled Children. Children and Society.

Woolley H, Hazelwood T & Simkins I (2011) Don't skate here: Exclusion of skateboarders from urban civic spaces in three Northern Cities in England. Journal of Urban Design, 16(4), 471-487.

Woolley H (2008) Watch This Space! Designing for Children's Play in Public Open Spaces. Geography Compass, 2(2), 495-512.

Woolley H (2007) Where do the children play? How policies can influence practice. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers - Municipal Engineer, 160(2), 89-95.

Woolley H (2006) Freedom of the city: Contemporary issues and policy influences on children and young people's use of public open space in England. Children's Geographies, 4(1), 45-59.

Woolley H, Armitage M, Bishop J, Curtis M & Ginsborg J (2006) Going outside together: Good practice with respect to the inclusion of disabled children in primary school playgrounds. Children's Geographies, 4(3), 303-318.

Swanwick C, Dunnett N & Woolley H (2003) Nature, role and value of green space in towns and cities: An overview. Built Environment, 29(2), 94-106.

Woolley H & Johns R (2001) Skateboarding: The City as a Playground. Journal of Urban Design, 6(2), 211-230.

Spencer C & Woolley H (2000) Children and the city: a summary of recent environmental psychology research. Child Care Health Dev, 26(3), 181-197.

Woolley H (2000) Town centre management awareness: An aid to developing young people's citizenship. Cities, 17(6), 453-459.

Woolley H & Noor-Ul-Amin (1999) Pakistani teenagers' use of public open space in Sheffield. Managing Leisure, 4(3), 156-167.

Woolley H, Spencer C, Dunn J & Rowley G (1999) The child as citizen: Experiences of British town and city centres. Journal of Urban Design, 4(3), 255-282.

Woolley H, Dunn J, Spencer C, Short T & Rowley G (1999) Children describe their experiences of the city centre: A qualitative study of the fears and concerns which may limit their full participation. Landscape Research, 24(3), 287-301.

Woolley H & Whittaker C (1995) Ethical practices in the landscape profession: a research note. Landscape Research, 20(3), 147-151.

Xie J, Woolley H, Liu B & Elsadek M () Overview of urban planning policy and urban green space system at a national level in China. IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 349, 012021-012021.

Kinoshita I & Woolley H () Children’s Play Environment after a Disaster: The Great East Japan Earthquake. Children, 2(1), 39-62.

Chapters

Tang P & Woolley H (2020) No time for play: Children's daily activities during summer holidays in the beijing central area, Place, Pedagogy and Play: Participation, Design and Research with Children (pp. 31-40).

Woolley H & Somerset-Ward A (2020) Living with nature, sheffield, england, The Routledge Handbook of Designing Public Spaces for Young People: Processes, Practices and Policies for Youth Inclusion (pp. 375-379).

Woolley H, Somerset-Ward A & Bradshaw K (2020) Through engagement to design: Working with children, young people, and communities to improve green spaces in social housing areas, The Routledge Handbook of Designing Public Spaces for Young People: Processes, Practices and Policies for Youth Inclusion (pp. 209-219).

Woolley HE (2017) Is Society Now Being Social? In Ergler CR, Kearns R & Witten K (Ed.), Children’s Health and Wellbeing in Urban Environments (pp. 72-83). London and New York: Taylor & Francis.

Woolley HE & Bozkurt M (2017) An ecological approach to behavior mapping: Developing a new mapping tool to understand children's experiences of urban water features In Koleva I, Yuksel DL & Benaabidate L (Ed.), Ecology, Planning and Design (pp. 237-244). Sofia: St Kliment Ohridski University Press.

Woolley HE (2017) Being Ourselves: children and young people sharing urban open spaces In Bishop K & Corkery L (Ed.), Designing for Kids in the City: beyond Playgrounds and Skate Parks (pp. 92-101). New York: Taylor and Francis/Routledge.

Woolley HE (2016) Green Space and Housing In Frances A (Ed.), Foxes Have Holes Christian Reflections on Britain's Housing Needs (pp. 71-80). London: Ekklesia.

Woolley HE (2015) Children and Young People's Agency In Hackett A, Proctor L & Seymour J (Ed.), Children's Spatialities Embodiment, Emotion and Agency (pp. 163-177). Hampshire, UK: Palgrave Macmillan.

Woolley HE & White J (2014) What makes a good outdoor environment for young children In Maynard T & Waters J (Ed.), Exploring Outdoor Play In The Early Years (pp. 29-41). Maidenhead, UK: McGraw-Hill Education (UK).

Woolley H, Armitage M, Bishop J, Curtis M & Ginsborg J (2013) Including children with disabilities in the playground In Safford K, Stacey M & Hancock R (Ed.), Small-Scale Research in Primary Schools: A Reader for Learning and Professional Development (pp. 120-124). London: Routledge with The Open University.

Woolley HE (2010) Acting in the landscape: a week in the life of young people in outdoor spaces in Sheffield In Meire J (Ed.), Tussen kind en samenleving: Over het sociale actorschap van kinderen (Children and Society: On children's social agency) (pp. 51-62). Netherlands.

Woolley H (2009) Every child matters in public open spaces, Securing Respect: Behavioural Expectations and Anti-Social Behaviour in the UK (pp. 97-116).

Woolley HE, Gathorne-Hardy F & Stringfellow S (2001) The Listening Game In Brebbia C (Ed.), Sustainable Streets Southampton: Wessex Institute of Technology.

Woolley HE (1998) Young people and town centres In Adams E & Ingham S (Ed.), Changing Places Children's Participation in Environmental Planning London: The Children's Society.

Designing Cities with Children and Young People Routledge

Reports

Woolley HE & Somerset-Ward A (2015) Access to Play in Crisis: Review of Literature

Woolley HE, Bradshaw K, Somerset-Ward A & Fagg S (2014) Stories of Living with Nature

Woolley HE & Eccles C (2011) Housing and Play

Woolley HE & Somerset-Ward A (2010) Living Green: Evidence to support the provision of green space around housing

Woolley HE (2009) QUERCUS Rivers Project: Evaluating the Trans National Partnership

Woolley HE & Shackell A (2009) The State of Play in Groundwork: An investigation into the understandings and delivery of 'natural' playspaces under the 'Playing it Naturally' programme.

Woolley HE, Pattacini L & Somerset-Ward A (2009) Children and the Natural Environment: Experiences, influences and interventions

Woolley HE & Tibbatts D (2005) Assessing Links Between Local Authority Expenditure and Quality of Urban Green Spaces

Woolley HE & Carmona M (2003) Value of Public Space

Woolley HE, Swanwick C & Dunnett N (2002) Improving Urban Parks, Play Areas and Green Spaces