Petersen, L.K. & Nielsen, S.S. 2011: Bynaturen i hverdagslivet. Danmarks Miljøundersøgelser, Aarhus Universitet. 80 s. – Faglig rapport fra DMU nr. 814.
Urban green space is a key component of urban sustainability. Important parts of urban life take place in green spaces, and the nature and ecosystems of urban areas provide services for urban populations. These ecosystem services consist of physical and biological functions, such as air and water purification and protection against extreme weather as well as social functions in terms of recreational and aesthetic qualities and spaces for social interaction.
The issue of this report is the social aspects of urban green spaces: how are green areas and urban nature used and how are they integrated in everyday lives of urban populations.
The report presents a sociological study which is part of a cross disciplinary project on Lifestyle and Nature Quality in Urban Areas focusing on the city of Copenhagen. The study is based on qualitative interviews and observations in four different districts of Copenhagen (Vanløse, Ydre Nørrebro, Christianshavn/Holmen and Sundby/Ørestaden) and a questionnaire aimed at respondents in the entire municipality.
The report is structured around three topics which are derived from the findings of the empirical study. Firstly, everyday life in urban green spaces is described and analysed. Use of urban green spaces is an integral part of daily and weekly routines as well as special occasions and events. Green spaces serve as extensions of the domestic sphere for people living in their vicinity. They offer spaces for free time and relief from pressure and crowds. They play a role in maintaining continuity and stability in people’s lives, and at the same time they mark changes in seasons and life course. With the many different uses and activities that can take place in green areas, they also provide a space of flexibility, and in that capacity they become an asset in tying together the different spheres and the different doings and obligations of everyday life.
Secondly, the social functions of urban green areas are addressed. Green spaces are places for being together in families and with friends, places where close relations are practiced. They are also places for casual meetings and maintenance of informal social networks, for instance between dog owners, parents to children in kindergartens or distant acquaintances. Furthermore, in urban green spaces people get an opportunity to observe and experience the urban diversity. When domestic and other everyday activities are extended into public green spaces, people become witnesses to each others’ lives. In that way public green spaces experiences of common citizenship. And as a contrast to social interaction, urban green areas offer spaces for spending time alone and enjoy a sense of getting away and being gone.
Thirdly, the report elaborates on the experience of nature. Green areas constitute variations in the urban landscape and a contrast to built-up areas, and precisely this coexistence between the urban and the green is perceived as an important quality in urban life. Likewise, diversity of green areas – in terms of their size, their furnishing and facilities and the occurrence of plants and animals – is perceived as an important quality for urban life: A broad range of experiences and activities are made available. Sensuous experiences of nature are sources of joy and improved life quality. People become attached to particular places and trees, and elements of urban nature are thereby woven into people’s life courses and everyday practices.
By way of synthesizing these findings the report points to four recurring traits in the uses of urban green structures. There is a spatial dimension which is constituted by the contrast that green areas provide to the surrounding urban life. Materiality is another important dimension of the uses of urban green space. Nature, landscape and facilities play an active part in people’s activities and in the ways they interact and spend time together. There is also a bodily dimension of the uses of green areas. They are places for both movement and relaxation of the body, for sensuous and bodily experiences, and, closely related to such experiences, for movement and relaxation of the mind. Finally, as a fourth dimension, experiences of time and history are tied to green areas; both through the patterns of recurring – social and biological – events that come and go with daily, weekly and yearly frequencies, and through the memory of personal and local history related to landmarks in the landscape.
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