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Background. The positive impact of greenspace on human health has been well documented, including several literature reviews and meta-analyses that have examined the broad benefits of nature connections. Researchers have also examined the relationship between nature and crime reduction and identified potential mechanisms underlying this outcome, such as the physiological impact of nature, lowered temperatures due to a reduction in the heat island effect, and places for community interaction. However, a critical shortcoming of this study is the lack of deep community involvement in the research process. Community-based participatory research is critical to ensuring that the findings are meaningful to communities and translatable. This study expands on recent literature reviews on greenspace outcomes by focusing on community-engaged research. By gathering and summarizing studies on this topic, we address two subjects:1) strategies that can be used to improve community engagement, and 2) environmental factors that impact community outcomes in greenspace settings. Methods. To explore these issues, we used a modified version of Arksey and O'Malley’s framework for a structured literature review, employing the Web of Science, EbscoHost, Scopus, ProQuest Global, and Google Scholar databases. Results. We retrieved 772 publications using permutations of keywords related to violent crime, green spaces, and community-based participatory research. After eliminating duplicates, the reviewers worked in parallel to evaluate 700 titles and abstracts and identified 51 potentially relevant papers, 10 of which met the requirements for inclusion in this analysis. Discussion. Based on the studies explored in this literature review, we identified the following strategies for improving community-engaged research: building partnerships, facilitating power-sharing, utilizing community-specific indicators of success, embracing perspectives of communities of color, and empowering community researchers. In the sample of studies described here, the factors contributing to the relationship between greenspace and violent crime were maintenance, activity programming, green interventions, and community involvement.

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Purpose: The appropriate use of color in healthcare settings has been a topic of interest for designers and researchers, and the need for evidence-based standards evident. The purpose of this article is to summarize recent research on color as applicable to neonatal intensive care units and to propose standards for color in these settings. Background: Research on this topic is limited due to difficulties associated with constructing research protocols, challenges in setting parameters for the independent variable (color), and the need to simultaneously address infants, families, and caregivers. Methods: For our literature review, the following research question was developed: Does the use of color in the design of the neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) impact health outcomes in newborn infants, families, and/or staff? Using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework for conducting a structured literature review, we (1) identified the research question, (2) identified relevant studies, (3) selected studies, and (4) collated and summarized the results. Only four papers were found regarding NICUs, so the search was expanded to include related healthcare and authors reporting on best practice. Results: Overall, the primary research focused on behavioral or physiological outcomes including the role of wayfinding and art, the impact of lighting on color, and tools for evaluating the impact of color. Best practice recommendations sometimes reflected the primary research but occasionally provided contradictory advice. Conclusions: Based on the reviewed literature, five topics are addressed: palette malleability; the use of the primary colors, blue, red, and yellow; and the relationship between light and color.