Mingling, observing, and lingering: Everyday public spaces and their implications for well-being and social relations

被引:330
作者
Cattell, Vicky [1 ]
Dines, Nick [2 ]
Gesler, Wil [3 ]
Curtis, Sarah [4 ]
机构
[1] Barts & London Queen Marys Sch Med & Dent, Ctr Psychiat, Wolfson Inst Prevent Med, London EC1M 6BQ, England
[2] Kings Coll London, Dept Geog, Sch Social Sci & Publ Policy, London WC2R 2LS, England
[3] Univ London, Dept Geog, London WC1E 7HU, England
[4] Univ Durham, Sci Labs, Dept Geog, Durham DH1 3LE, England
关键词
public spaces; well-being; social interaction; social relations; therapeutic landscapes; community cohesion;
D O I
10.1016/j.healthplace.2007.10.007
中图分类号
R1 [预防医学、卫生学];
学科分类号
1004 ; 120402 ;
摘要
The rejuvenation of public spaces is a key policy concern in the UK. Drawing on a wide literature and on qualitative research located in a multi-ethnic area of East London, this paper explores their relationship to well-being and social relations. It demonstrates that ordinary spaces are a significant resource for both individuals and communities. The beneficial properties of public spaces are not reducible to natural or aesthetic criteria, however. Social interaction in spaces can provide relief from daily routines, sustenance for people's sense of community, opportunities for sustaining bonding ties or making bridges, and can influence tolerance and raise people's spirits. They also possess subjective meanings that accumulate over time and can contribute to meeting diverse needs. Different users of public spaces attain a sense of wellbeing for different reasons: the paper calls for policy approaches in which the social and therapeutic properties of a range of everyday spaces are more widely recognised and nurtured. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
引用
收藏
页码:544 / 561
页数:18
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