Review EssayGreen space, health and wellbeing: making space for individual agency
Introduction
A significant body of research has accumulated over the last 30 years that, whilst not conclusive, suggests a positive influence of green space exposure on human health and wellbeing. This includes the identification of associations between green space in the living environment, better self reported health (De Vries et al., 2003, Maas et al., 2006, Van Den Berg et al., 2010) and reduced morbidity, stress, obesity, and cardiovascular and respiratory disease (Nielsen and Hansen, 2007, Maas et al., 2009a, Richardson and Mitchell, 2010).
Efforts to explain the processes through which these associations might arise tend to suggest a role for: (a) improved environmental quality, such as reduced air pollution (Hartig et al., 2014); (b) physical activity (Bowler et al., 2010, Thompson-Coon et al., 2011); (c) social interaction (Maas et al., 2009b); (d) direct restoration from stress or fatigue through psycho-neuro-endocrine pathways (Ulrich, 1983, Kaplan, 1995); and (e) emotional and/or spiritual experiences, though these are lesser researched (Warber et al., 2013). Overall, the balance of evidence currently favours the restorative pathway (Silveirinha De Oliveira et al., 2013), is mixed on physical activity, and limited with regards to social interaction (Hartig et al., 2014).
Whilst the evidence base provides valuable insights into the salutogenic potential of green spaces, existing research tends to be underpinned by the assumption that where people have nearby green spaces, they will use them (Hitchings, 2013). This risks equating green space presence (typically within the residential environment) with inevitable wellbeing experience (Conradson, 2005). Although this assumption is increasingly acknowledged as a limitation in much of that research, it does constrain the generation of more nuanced insights into when and why different people do or do not use green spaces and how; it is likely that complex personal factors define and drive our choices regarding the use of different green spaces for wellbeing over time and, therefore, the potential to benefit from ‘use’. Where people do engage with their local green spaces, the nature of their interactions may promote certain dimensions of wellbeing at the expense of others (Collins and Kearns, 2007).
This article examines such assumptions of use alongside opportunities to move the field forward through exploring two often overlooked aspects of individual agency: the influence of shifting life circumstances on personal wellbeing priorities and place practices, and the role of personal orientations to nature in shaping how green space wellbeing affordances are perceived and experienced. It concludes by elaborating on four future research opportunities which could strengthen our understanding of the salutogenic potential (and limits) of green space by facilitating greater consideration of individual agency.
Within the article, agency is understood as “the capacity of individuals to make purposeful choices and transform these into desired actions and outcomes within the social, cultural, economic and political contexts specific to their daily lives” (Bell, 2012: 283). A broad interpretation of green space is adopted, including private and public green and blue spaces, primarily in and around urban areas, ranging from landscaped spaces (such as parks, gardens, allotments) to those considered relatively ‘natural’ (such as woodlands, rivers and beaches) (DTLR, 2002). Whilst the somewhat homogenous ‘green space’ term is used within this article for purposes of brevity, we recognise and support recent calls for greater specificity in our understanding of the diverse health and wellbeing potentials of different green and blue space settings and interactions (Velarde et al., 2007, Van Den Berg et al., 2014).
Section snippets
The limitations of existing assumptions underpinning green space-health studies
Much existing research, a significant proportion of which is carried out at a population-level, makes the assumption that a greater presence of, or proximity to, green space within the living environment will lead to enhanced green space use (Hitchings, 2013) and contribute to improved health outcomes. However the findings of these studies are mixed and often contradictory. For example, a vast and growing body of evidence has examined associations between green space proximity and self-reported
How could a focus on agency address the limitations of existing assumptions?
A renewed focus on individual agency (including capacity and inclination to engage with green spaces) could contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the ways in which people do or do not use different green spaces, and the extent to which people associate their green space interactions with wellbeing. Two potentially important aspects of individual agency in this regard are discussed in this section: the role of shifts in life circumstances over time and the development of personal
Conclusions: steps to better integrate agency into future green space and health studies
This review essay has discussed assumptions of green space use that currently underpin much of the green space and health evidence base and identified future research directions aimed at understanding why different green space interactions do or do not become meaningful for wellbeing over time and for whom. In doing so, it suggests value in moving beyond a focus on green space presence and/or proximity to consider more subtle aspects of individual agency that may influence use patterns and
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank the European Social Fund Convergence Programme for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly for funding Sarah Bell׳s PhD scholarship, as well as Westley Design; a landscape architecture and inclusive design consultancy which has provided valuable practical insights and guidance to the design of this doctoral research project. Thanks also go to two anonymous referees for their valuable and constructive comments on an earlier draft of this article.
The European Centre for
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