Developing Place-Based Health during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of Taipei City’s Jiuzhuang Community Garden

Abstract

This article considers the development process of Jiuzhuang Community Garden in Taipei City to analyze the practice of community gardens and their relevance to urban health and human well-being. Previous studies have highlighted the contributions of community gardens in areas such as food supply, climate adaptation, local culture, and social interaction. Using qualitative methods, such as participatory observation, focus group discussions, and semi-structured interviews, this study demonstrates the co-beneficial relationships between various factors and the synergetic effects they bring to physical and mental health. By adopting a perspective that incorporates social infrastructure and the Satoyama Initiative, this research interprets how community gardens can support and develop place-based health concepts and respond to urban complexity. It demonstrates the pathway to enhancing urban health through interventions in urban spaces, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the examination of a community garden case, this study explores the potential connections between SDG 3 and SDG 11, emphasizing the role of green space provision, place identity, and participatory management in enhancing physical and mental well-being. This study also indicates the necessity of integrating the perspectives of public health and urban planning in addressing urban health issues. This integration is essential to shift away from a disease- and mortality-centered approach and towards a health paradigm centered on lifestyle and social interactions.

Public Health Implications for Effective Community Interventions Based on Hospital Patient Data Analysis Using Deep Learning Technology in Indonesia

“…Spatial analysis has been used to enhance the quality of public health interventions [17][18][19]. This work discusses the role of spatial analysis in improving the quality of public health interventions.…”

Health Effects of Participation in Creating Urban Green Spaces—A Systematic Review

“…We also included community-related benefits, such as higher community cohesion (30). Additionally, 13 studies note an increased connection to place, either in the form of higher place attachment [95,107,139,148], special connections with place [85,91,115,154], or strengthening local identity [114]. Studies frequently report on educational benefits and skill development (41).…”

Soil health and carbon storage in community gardens in the Perth metropolitan area, Australia

“…In recent years, the multifunctional value (pro-social attributes) of community gardens has been recognized by several studies and has become an area of high interest (Abramovic et al, 2019;Lampert et al, 2021;Tharrey et al, 2019). During the Covid-19 pandemic community gardens provided networking opportunity to reduce community isolation, enhance community resilience, promote physical activity, encourage positive thinking and provide support to vulnerable members within the community and food to residents in need (Huang, 2023;Kato & Boules, 2022;Salomon et al, 2022;Taylor et al, 2022).…”