Natural England / CPRE, Discover Tranquillity, 2024

For almost 30 years tranquillity has been recognised as a significant asset of our landscape, now embedded in the National Planning Policy Framework and used in planning decisions. However, in the 20 years since CPRE and Natural England reviewed this map, much has changed: the digital revolution; greater environmental awareness, economic squeeze, COVID, working from home, and so on. So, do we value tranquillity differently today?

We relished the challenge, designing an innovative project using participatory appraisal approaches and Gestalt theory, to understand the psychology of tranquillity; a representative survey using a MaxDiff design to improve how facets of tranquillity are valued; and citizen science to create a visual tapestry of tranquillity.

Through this research, we provided a contemporary understanding of what tranquillity means; and a robust statistical hierarchy of factors for applying new values to the updated tranquillity map to ensure the natural spaces we need for our national health and wellbeing are protected in law.

This project marks the first stage in renewing the national tranquillity map. The social impact of this work will stretch into the long term and be experienced in ways that are hard to measure. This project is impactful in the following ways:

• For CPRE, our detailed and sensitive research ensures that the next stage of modelling the national tranquillity map is rooted in contemporary human experience

• Planning policies and frameworks will be updated with the updated map, protecting the spaces – both rural and urban – that we as citizens value most

• For all of us, this research ultimately protects the need to experience tranquillity, with the benefits of improved mental wellbeing and moments of happiness.