Healing in places of decline: (re)imagining everyday landscapes in Hamilton, Ontario

Wakefield, Sarah; McMullan, Colin

doi:10.1016/j.healthplace.2004.05.001

Cited by 118 publications

(75 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…Notably, the places discussed in the therapeutic landscapes literature to date range from those with perceived aesthetic value (including green and blue spaces) to those whose therapeutic qualities may be imperceptible to an outsider, including a sense of security and inclusion nurtured through the development of supportive social networks over time (Smyth, 2005;Wakefield and McMullan, 2005).…”

Section: Historical 'Healing' At the Coastmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeking everyday wellbeing: The coast as a therapeutic landscape

Bell

Phoenix

Lovell

et al. 2015

Social Science & Medicine

230

168

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Recent research suggests coastal environments may promote human health and wellbeing. This article explores the diverse coastal experiences sought out by residents of two towns in south west England to promote and preserve their personal wellbeing in the context of their everyday lives. It draws on the findings of an in-depth interpretive study conducted from May to November 2013 that examined the relative contribution of varied green and blue space experiences to individual wellbeing through the life course. Personalised activity maps produced using accelerometer and Global Positioning System (GPS) data were used to guide in-depth geo-narrative interviews with a purposive sample of 33 participants. This was combined with a subset of nine case study go-along interviews in places deemed therapeutic by the participants themselves, offering deeper insight into the lived experiences and relationships playing out within such places. Situated in a novel adaptation of the therapeutic landscapes framework, this article explores how symbolic, achievement-oriented, immersive and social experiences contributed to participants' sense of wellbeing in their local coastal areas.Participants expressed particularly strong and often enduring connections to the local coastline, with different coastal stretches perceived to cater for varied therapeutic needs and interests, at multiple scales and intensities. The findings suggest the need for greater acknowledgement of people's emotional, deeply embodied and often shared connections to the coast within coastal management policy and practice, both nationally and internationally. Importantly, such efforts should recognise the fluid, dynamic nature of this land-sea boundary, and the valued therapeutic experiences linked to this fluidity.

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Section: Historical 'Healing' At the Coastmentioning

confidence: 99%

Seeking everyday wellbeing: The coast as a therapeutic landscape

Bell

Phoenix

Lovell

et al. 2015

Social Science & Medicine

230

168

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The city has battled an "unhealthy" reputation largely based on the pollution caused by industry and is in the process of actively shifting its "Steel City" image. 41 Hamilton was developed in 1846 with traditional Victorian design. It has since developed into a distinct urban center, complete with inner-city neighborhoods and more recent suburban communities.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prioritizing Obesity in the City

Dean

Elliott

2011

J Urban Health

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A decade ago, the World Health Organization declared obesity to be a global epidemic. Accordingly, there is a growing body of research examining how "obesogenic environments" contribute to the increasing prevalence of obesity. Using the ANGELO Framework, this research explores the role of municipal policies and practices in constructing obesogenic environments in two Southern Ontario cities in order to examine how socio-cultural and political environments shape excess body weight. Data was collected from municipal policy documents, public health websites, and key informants in Hamilton and Mississauga, Ontario, Canada. Results indicate that while the cities took different approaches to dealing with obesity, they both reflected the cities' overall prioritizing of health. Additionally, the findings reveal the pervasiveness of values and attitudes held in the socio-cultural environment in further shaping (and being shaped by) political as well as economic and physical environments in the cities. The importance of explicitly acknowledging the official discourse of the city, which this study demonstrates to be a significant factor in constructing obesogenic environments, is highlighted. Theoretical contributions and policy implications are also discussed.

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“…Through this interdisciplinary bridging, the concept of therapeutic landscapes has diverged from traditional geographic notions of landscapes. Critiques of the concept have suggested that healing is not limited to a specific location, but occurs in broad settings (Gastaldo et al 2004;Wakefield and McMullan 2005;Conradson 2005;Smyth 2005). Social landscapes, they argue, can exert as much influence as physical ones in shaping experiences of health.…”

Section: Building Landscapes Through Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Constructing landscapes

Winchester¹,

King²

2017

MAT

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The concept of therapeutic landscapes has been adopted from geography by anthropologists with a similar commitment to addressing the intersections between the construction of place and the multifaceted and symbolic dimensions of health. Drawing from health geography and medical anthropology, we take up the challenge from these fields to approach health broadly in order to understand how health decision making is connected to intersecting political, economic, social, and cultural processes that shape what options are available to people. This article presents findings from an ongoing study of the political ecology of health in northeastern South Africa. We consider how therapeutic landscapes are produced by physical infrastructure, social dynamics, and the use of natural resources for livelihoods and health management. While each of these dimensions is critical in shaping human health, we argue that it is through their interaction that therapeutic landscapes are produced. Landscapes of care are thus complicated and shifting, with rural households making strategic decisions to leverage government support, social support, and resources for health management. We conclude by emphasizing the need for further integration of anthropological and geographic frameworks in studying human health.

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Healing in places of decline: (re)imagining everyday landscapes in Hamilton, Ontario

Cited by 118 publications

References 33 publications

Seeking everyday wellbeing: The coast as a therapeutic landscape

Seeking everyday wellbeing: The coast as a therapeutic landscape

Prioritizing Obesity in the City

Constructing landscapes

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