Apologies for crossposting ... Final Call for Papers
Greenspace justice for health and wellbeing
Session Sponsored by the Geographies of Health and Wellbeing Research Group (GHWRG) of the RGS-IBG
Call for Papers
RGS-IBG Annual Conference 2016
30 August – 2 September, London
Organisers: Mick Lennon & Mark Scott, University College Dublin
Session Format: Paper Session
Far too frequently have the benefits of economic development come with the cost of having physical activity and options to connect with nature designed out of daily life. As a result, many people now live in ‘obesogenic environments’ that hinder the integration of physical activity into daily routines and diminish the psychological wellbeing arising from contact with the natural world. While there is a longstanding recognition of the negative impacts on health of environmental ‘bads’ such as the geographies of pollution exposure, there is a growing focus on the potential positive influence on health of environmental ‘goods’, such as access to ‘nature’/biodiversity through more equitable distribution and access to high quality urban greenspace. Nevertheless, a number of knowledge gaps remain concerning the multidimensional relationships between greenspace and health and wellbeing. Firstly, the existence of greenspace in a locality does not always equate with a health-promoting environment. For example, within an urban context, perceptions of vandalism, safety concerns and poor design may undermine the use of greenspaces. Secondly, the potential of health-promoting environments may be undermined by the distribution of environmental goods across space and variable access by socio-economic status, gender, age and cultural background. For example, more affluent neighbourhoods tend to be well served by parks, tree lined streets and access to environmental amenities (such as coastlines, riverside locations etc.). This suggests the need to consider issues of social equity and health from an environmental justice standpoint.
Consequently, this session seeks to help address such knowledge deficits by providing a forum for exploring the multifaceted relationships between urban greenspace and health and wellbeing in the context of the so called ‘global north’, with a particular focus on issues of ‘justice’. Papers are invited from a broad array of perspectives that examine the theoretical and/or empirical dimensions of urban greenspace as they relate to matters of social equity and environmental justice. This includes issues concerning: access; urban design and health promoting environments; urban biodiversity, nature and wellbeing; the politics of greenspace; and the distribution of environmental goods/bads through greenspace planning.
Therefore, themes of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Lifelong greenspace for long long-lived justice (With a focus on age related equity)
• Multi-sensory greenspace for bodies and minds (With a focus on healthy design)
• Community greenspace for communal healing (With a focus on community justice)
• Environmental justice as greenspace justice (With a focus on socio-economic equity)
*Deadline for submitting abstracts is Monday 15th February 2016*
Please send abstracts up to a maximum of 250 words and proposed titles (clearly stating name, institution, and contact details) to Dr Mick Lennon <[log in to unmask]> or Prof Mark Scott <[log in to unmask]>. The convenors will notify all authors of whether their paper can be accommodated in the session by 16 February at the latest (this will allow the conference deadline of 19 February to be met).
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