Kathryn Colley
Kathryn Colley is an environmental social scientist whose research in the Social, Economic and Geographical Sciences (SEGS) group focuses on person-environment relationships. She has a first degree in Ecological Sciences (Edinburgh University), an MSc in Urban & Regional Planning and PhD in Urban Studies (both Heriot-Watt University). Kathryn is a mixed method researcher, combining quantitative and qualitative approaches to gain holistic and in-depth understandings of complex person-environment interactions in practice.
Kathryn completed her PhD at the School of the Built Environment at Heriot-Watt University in 2014. Her doctoral research focused on the health and wellbeing functions of greenspace in the context of peri-urban business sites.
Prior to joining SEGS in September 2013 she worked as a social researcher in the Scottish Government's Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services division, where her work focused largely on behaviour change for low carbon living.
Current research interests
Kathryn's primary research interests lie in the interactions between people and landscape, with a focus on dimensions of person-environment interactions in everyday places and the part these play in underpinning human wellbeing. Of particular interest are:
a) The role that physical landscape attributes and ecological characteristics play in processes of psychological restoration, place identity and attachment; and in shaping outdoor recreation behaviour and the experience of green/blue spaces.
b) Understanding how personal and individual factors such as ecological knowledge, past experience, and nature connectedness interact in these relationships with landscape across the urban-rural matrix.
A second strand of Kathryn's work focuses on understanding transitions to low carbon lifestyles at the individual and household level, with a focus on how subjective wellbeing and processes of identification (e.g. with particular social groups, roles or environments) relate to the performance of different types of pro-environmental behaviour.
Bibliography
- Colley, K.; Craig, T., (2019) Natural places: Perceptions of wildness and attachment to local greenspace., Journal of Environmental Psychology, 61, 71-78.
- Waylen, K.A.; Holstead, K.L.; Colley, K.; Hopkins, J., (2018) Challenges to enabling and implementing Natural Flood Management in Scotland., Journal of Flood Risk Management, 11, S1078-S1089.
- Colley, K.; Irvine, K.N., (2018) Investigating use of the outdoors across adult population groups in Scotland., Draft Final Report to Scottish Government, April 2018, 30pp.
- Irvine, K.N.; Colley, K.; Currie, M., (2018) Capabilities for engagement with landscapes for wellbeing., RESAS RD 3.4.3 Working Paper, 31 March 2018.
- Conniff, A.; Colley, K.; Irvine, K.N., (2017) Exploring landscape engagement through a participatory touch table approach., Social Sciences, 6, Article No. 118.
- Colley, K.; Currie, M.; Irvine, K.N., (2017) Then and now: Examining older people’s engagement in outdoor recreation across the life course., Leisure Sciences. Published online.
- Colley, K.; Brown, C.; Montarzino, A., (2017) Understanding knowledge-workers’ interactions with workplace greenspace: open space use and restoration experiences at urban-fringe business sites., Environment and Behavior, 49, 314-338.
- Colley, K.; Brown, C.; Montarzino, A., (2016) Restorative wildscapes at work: an investigation of the wellbeing benefits of greenspace at urban fringe business sites using "go-along' interviews., Landscape Research, 41, 598-615.
- Gilbert, A.; Colley, K.; Roberts, D., (2016) Are rural residents happier? A quantitative analysis of subjective wellbeing in Scotland., Journal of Rural Studies, 44, 37-45.
- Colley, K.; Currie, M.; Hopkins, J.; Melo, P., (2016) Access to outdoor recreation by older people in Scotland., Report for Rural Communities Research, Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services (RESAS) Division, The Scottish Government. Social Research Series, 85pp.
- Colley, K.; Currie, M.; Hopkins, J.; Melo, P., (2016) Access to outdoor recreation by older people in Scotland., Project Report to Scottish Government.
- Holstead, K.L.; Colley, K.; Waylen, K.A., (2016) Tackling the barriers to implementing natural flood management: summary report., Summary Report presented at Workshop Meeting, Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation, 11 February 2016.
- Gilchrist, K.; Brown, C.; Montarzino, A., (2015) Workplace settings and wellbeing: Greenspace use and views contribute to employee wellbeing at peri-urban business sites., Landscape and Urban Planning, 138, 32-40.
- Gilchrist, K.; Irvine, K.N., (2014) Scotland 2030: Picturing life in a low carbon Scotland., ClimateXChange Calldown from Low Carbon Behaviours Policy Team - Narrative for 2030.
- Gilchrist, K.; Craig, T., (2014) Home energy efficiency - a review of evidence of attitudes and behaviours., ClimateXChange website.
- Colley, K.; Craig, T., (2019) Natural places: Perceptions of wildness and attachment to local greenspace., Journal of Environmental Psychology, 61, 71-78.
- Waylen, K.A.; Holstead, K.L.; Colley, K.; Hopkins, J., (2018) Challenges to enabling and implementing Natural Flood Management in Scotland., Journal of Flood Risk Management, 11, S1078-S1089.
- Conniff, A.; Colley, K.; Irvine, K.N., (2017) Exploring landscape engagement through a participatory touch table approach., Social Sciences, 6, Article No. 118.
- Colley, K.; Currie, M.; Irvine, K.N., (2017) Then and now: Examining older people’s engagement in outdoor recreation across the life course., Leisure Sciences. Published online.
- Colley, K.; Brown, C.; Montarzino, A., (2017) Understanding knowledge-workers’ interactions with workplace greenspace: open space use and restoration experiences at urban-fringe business sites., Environment and Behavior, 49, 314-338.
- Colley, K.; Brown, C.; Montarzino, A., (2016) Restorative wildscapes at work: an investigation of the wellbeing benefits of greenspace at urban fringe business sites using "go-along' interviews., Landscape Research, 41, 598-615.
- Gilbert, A.; Colley, K.; Roberts, D., (2016) Are rural residents happier? A quantitative analysis of subjective wellbeing in Scotland., Journal of Rural Studies, 44, 37-45.
- Gilchrist, K.; Brown, C.; Montarzino, A., (2015) Workplace settings and wellbeing: Greenspace use and views contribute to employee wellbeing at peri-urban business sites., Landscape and Urban Planning, 138, 32-40.
- Waylen, K.A.; Holstead, K.L.; Colley, K.; Hopkins, J., (2018) Challenges to enabling and implementing Natural Flood Management in Scotland., Journal of Flood Risk Management, 11, S1078-S1089.
- Colley, K.; Brown, C.; Montarzino, A., (2017) Understanding knowledge-workers’ interactions with workplace greenspace: open space use and restoration experiences at urban-fringe business sites., Environment and Behavior, 49, 314-338.
- Colley, K.; Brown, C.; Montarzino, A., (2016) Restorative wildscapes at work: an investigation of the wellbeing benefits of greenspace at urban fringe business sites using "go-along' interviews., Landscape Research, 41, 598-615.
- Gilchrist, K.; Brown, C.; Montarzino, A., (2015) Workplace settings and wellbeing: Greenspace use and views contribute to employee wellbeing at peri-urban business sites., Landscape and Urban Planning, 138, 32-40.
- Colley, K.; Irvine, K.N., (2018) Investigating use of the outdoors across adult population groups in Scotland., Draft Final Report to Scottish Government, April 2018, 30pp.
- Irvine, K.N.; Colley, K.; Currie, M., (2018) Capabilities for engagement with landscapes for wellbeing., RESAS RD 3.4.3 Working Paper, 31 March 2018.
- Colley, K.; Currie, M.; Hopkins, J.; Melo, P., (2016) Access to outdoor recreation by older people in Scotland., Report for Rural Communities Research, Rural and Environment Science and Analytical Services (RESAS) Division, The Scottish Government. Social Research Series, 85pp.
- Colley, K.; Currie, M.; Hopkins, J.; Melo, P., (2016) Access to outdoor recreation by older people in Scotland., Project Report to Scottish Government.
- Holstead, K.L.; Colley, K.; Waylen, K.A., (2016) Tackling the barriers to implementing natural flood management: summary report., Summary Report presented at Workshop Meeting, Edinburgh Centre for Carbon Innovation, 11 February 2016.
- Gilchrist, K.; Irvine, K.N., (2014) Scotland 2030: Picturing life in a low carbon Scotland., ClimateXChange Calldown from Low Carbon Behaviours Policy Team - Narrative for 2030.
- Gilchrist, K.; Craig, T., (2014) Home energy efficiency - a review of evidence of attitudes and behaviours., ClimateXChange website.
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