Urban Nature: Enriching Belonging, Wellbeing and Bioculture

This book explores the diverse ways in which urban residents from different cultural contexts perceive, interact with, and give meaning to urban nature, challenging the dominance of Western perspectives and values in urban nature and design. It includes case studies from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, highlighting the contributions of urban nature to wellbeing, belonging, and quality of life. The book emphasizes the importance of considering biocultural diversity in engagements with urban nature and challenges Western ideological understandings and meta-narratives of modernisation and urban transitions.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 290 pages
Publication date: 30 May 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Urban nature has been predominantly shaped, planned, and managed in ways that are heavily influenced by Western perspectives, values, and appreciations, which have spread through colonialism and globalization. As cities become increasingly diverse in culture, and urban nature is recognized for its contribution to residents' well-being, belonging, and overall quality of life, it is crucial to explore the diverse ways in which urban nature is understood and valued. This collection of case studies, encompassing examples from Africa, Asia, Europe, North and South America, examines the multifaceted aspects of engagements with urban nature through a biocultural diversity lens. The chapters cover various themes, including how interactions with nature foster a sense of well-being and belonging, the implications of diversity on the provision, design, and management of urban environments, and the challenges that hinder residents' meaningful engagement with nature. The book challenges the dominant discourse, Western ideological understandings, and meta-narratives of modernization and unilineal urban transitions.

A timely addition to the literature, Urban Nature: Enriching Belonging, Wellbeing, and Bioculture offers an alternative to Western ideological perspectives on nature and values and will be of great interest to those working in human and environmental urban ecology. It will also be essential reading for students in the relevant fields of anthropology, development studies, and more.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367615918