DOBSON, Julian (2018). From contest to context: urban green space and public policy. People, Place and Policy Online, 12 (2), 72-83.
Documents
27154:587556
PDF
Dobson-FromContestContext(VoR).pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.
Dobson-FromContestContext(VoR).pdf - Published Version
Available under License Creative Commons Attribution.
Download (154kB) | Preview
Abstract
The role of urban green spaces in supporting mental and physical wellbeing is well
evidenced. At a time when mental ill-health is seen as a major factor limiting the life
chances of the poorest groups in society, the case for the provision and protection of
natural urban environments would appear indisputable. Yet establishing direct causal
links between natural environments and specific health outcomes is complex and
problematic. Different green spaces contribute to experiences of wellbeing in different
ways for different people. Public policies that seek to employ green space to achieve
health objectives through ‘interventions’ or ‘prescriptions’ are thus fraught with
difficulties. Rather than seeing green space as an instrumental factor or ‘dose’ in
improving wellbeing, this paper, based on emerging findings from research in Sheffield,
UK, argues that policymakers need to think of multifunctional natural environments as
essential contexts for the promotion of wellbeing. Urban austerity, however, acts as a
countervailing context-changing driver, reframing wellbeing within a narrative of public
service cost control.
More Information
Statistics
Downloads
Downloads per month over past year
Metrics
Altmetric Badge
Dimensions Badge
Share
Actions (login required)
![]() |
View Item |