Margarita Triguero-Mas1, Isabelle Anguelovski2, Melissa García-Lamarca3, Lucía Argüelles4, Carmen Perez-Del-Pulgar3, Galia Shokry3, James J T Connolly5, Helen V S Cole3. 1. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institute for Environmental Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain; IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain; Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: mtrigueromas@gmail.com. 2. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institute for Environmental Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain; IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain; Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability, Barcelona, Spain; ICREA, Institució Catalana de Recerca i Estudis Avançats, Barcelona, Spain. 3. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institute for Environmental Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain; IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain; Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability, Barcelona, Spain. 4. Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability, Barcelona, Spain; Internet Interdisciplinary Institute (IN3), Open University of Catalonia (UOC), Barcelona, Spain; Estudis d'Economia i Empresa (EEE), Open University of Catalonia (UOC), Barcelona, Spain. 5. Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; Institute for Environmental Science and Technology, Barcelona, Spain; IMIM (Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute), Barcelona, Spain; Barcelona Lab for Urban Environmental Justice and Sustainability, Barcelona, Spain; School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP), University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Cities are restoring existing natural outdoor environments (NOE) or creating new ones to address diverse socio-environmental and health challenges. The idea that NOE provide health benefits is supported by the therapeutic landscapes concept. However, several scholars suggest that NOE interventions may not equitably serve all urban residents and may be affected by processes such as gentrification. Applying the therapeutic landscapes concept, this study assesses the impacts of gentrification processes on the associations between NOE and the health of underprivileged, often long-term, neighborhood residents. METHODS: We examined five neighborhoods in five cities in Canada, the United States and Western Europe. Our case studies were neighborhoods experiencing gentrification processes and NOE interventions. In each city, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews on NOE interventions, equity/justice, gentrification and health (n = 117) with case study neighborhood residents, community-based organizations, neighborhood resident leaders and other stakeholders such as public agencies staff. RESULTS: Respondents highlighted a variety of interconnected and overlapping factors: the insufficient benefits of NOE to counterbalance other factors detrimental to health, the use of NOE for city branding and housing marketing despite pollution, unwelcomeness, increase of conflicts, threats to physical displacement for themselves and their social networks, unattractiveness, deficient routes, inadequate NOE maintenance and lack of safety in NOE. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that underprivileged neighborhood residents were perceived to experience new or improved NOE as what we call "disruptive green landscapes" (i.e. non-therapeutic landscapes with which they were not physically or emotionally engaged) instead of as therapeutic landscapes.
BACKGROUND: Cities are restoring existing natural outdoor environments (NOE) or creating new ones to address diverse socio-environmental and health challenges. The idea that NOE provide health benefits is supported by the therapeutic landscapes concept. However, several scholars suggest that NOE interventions may not equitably serve all urban residents and may be affected by processes such as gentrification. Applying the therapeutic landscapes concept, this study assesses the impacts of gentrification processes on the associations between NOE and the health of underprivileged, often long-term, neighborhood residents. METHODS: We examined five neighborhoods in five cities in Canada, the United States and Western Europe. Our case studies were neighborhoods experiencing gentrification processes and NOE interventions. In each city, we conducted semi-structured qualitative interviews on NOE interventions, equity/justice, gentrification and health (n = 117) with case study neighborhood residents, community-based organizations, neighborhood resident leaders and other stakeholders such as public agencies staff. RESULTS: Respondents highlighted a variety of interconnected and overlapping factors: the insufficient benefits of NOE to counterbalance other factors detrimental to health, the use of NOE for city branding and housing marketing despite pollution, unwelcomeness, increase of conflicts, threats to physical displacement for themselves and their social networks, unattractiveness, deficient routes, inadequate NOE maintenance and lack of safety in NOE. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated that underprivileged neighborhood residents were perceived to experience new or improved NOE as what we call "disruptive green landscapes" (i.e. non-therapeutic landscapes with which they were not physically or emotionally engaged) instead of as therapeutic landscapes.
Authors: Leticia Nogueira; Kristi E White; Brooke Bell; Katie E Alegria; Gary Bennett; Donald Edmondson; Elissa Epel; E Alison Holman; Ian M Kronish; Julian Thayer Journal: Transl Behav Med Date: 2022-05-25 Impact factor: 3.626
Authors: Daniel Masterson; Margarita Triguero-Mas; Sandra Marquez; Wilma Zijlema; David Martinez; Christopher Gidlow; Graham Smith; Gemma Hurst; Marta Cirach; Regina Grazuleviciene; Magdalena Van den Berg; Hanneke Kruize; Jolanda Maas; Mark Nieuwenhuijsen Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2022-02-16 Impact factor: 3.390
Authors: S M Labib; Matthew H E M Browning; Alessandro Rigolon; Marco Helbich; Peter James Journal: Sci Total Environ Date: 2022-04-06 Impact factor: 10.753