Decent exposure? Decision makers influence nature connection by shaping the urban landscape.
Date
2024
Authors
Hill, Celeste Kylie
Editors
Advisors
Nursey-Bray, Melissa
Hanson-Easey, Scott
Hanson-Easey, Scott
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
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Thesis
Citation
Statement of Responsibility
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Abstract
In recent years, city populations have faced health crises including the Covid-19 pandemic, escalating chronic diseases like diabetes, heart disease and mental health disorders. Extreme weather and related supply disruptions continue to impact many regions. Mounting evidence points to urban nature as vital for city liveability, while nature connectedness has been linked to better mental health, more physical activity and sustainable lifestyle choices. However, many cities continue to lose vegetation, trees, wildlife and space for nature. Therefore urban residents are at risk of becoming ever more alienated from nature in daily life, with wellbeing to suffer as a result. A growing body of research explores nature connection; what it is and how it develops. Reviewing this literature, I distill many dimensions of nature connection into four facets; affinity, awareness, interaction and exposure. These four facets of nature connection serve as a simplified, yet robust frame of reference from which to guide the decision making that shapes urban landscapes. Exposure differs from all other facets in being unintentional or incidental. Passive or incidental exposure to nature is the most impacted by decision making, as the latter determines the quality and distribution of nature that urban residents are exposed to in daily life. Research on nature connection has largely examined the choices and motivations of individuals. Strategies for enhancing nature connection have therefore focused on personal choices and actions. Such strategies are important, but do not address the extent of passive exposure to nature in daily life. I argue that passive exposure has health and wellbeing benefits, and may be important for supporting nature connectedness, regardless of whether people are aware of the presence of various forms of nature. I argue that decision making can influence residents’ relationships with nature indirectly, through their influence on the quality and distribution of nature that residents can be exposed to.. Using an illustrative case study of metropolitan Adelaide in South Australia, I examine decision making that affects the quality and distribution of nature at the city scale. I pay particular attention to indicators of changing exposure to nature in daily urban life, and I consider the implications for human-nature connection. Adelaide offers an informative case study, because its decision makers face significant environmental challenges and multiple competing demands. Such complex factors weigh on decisions, and thereby influence the resulting character of the urban landscape. I used mixed methods of inquiry to identify key factors influencing decision making that affects the quality and distribution of urban nature, in both positive and negative ways. Thus, my thesis provides an in-depth exploration of the ways that decision making influences nature connection among urban residents. I found that the practitioners interviewed in my study expressed rich personal connections with nature, and were well informed about its benefits. These practitioners, along with many decision-making organisations advocated strongly for more nature in the urban landscape. This advocacy has resulted in a number of recent nature-based initiatives. Nevertheless, Adelaide’s landscape has also seen a significant loss of mature trees, green space and habitat fragmentation in recent years. I found that this apparent contradiction was explained by dualistic approaches to city development. ‘City or nature’ dualism in decision making suggests an assumption that development of a city necessitates replacing nature with built form. By contrast, options for integrating living and built forms appear to be largely overlooked. I also found that prioritisation of construction, to the exclusion of nature, is entrenched in the wording of planning policy. A lack of cohesion is evident, as some sectors work to integrate nature, while others exclude it with dualistic decision making. I found that recent erosion of Adelaide’s nature is a consequence of dualistic city development. Quantifiable erosion of Adelaide’s nature threatens to significantly reduce both passive exposure and intentional interactions with nature among residents. Lost exposure to nature invites a risk of ‘shifting baseline syndrome’, which may exacerbate alienation from nature, as residents assume that an increasingly naturedepleted landscape is normal. Loss of urban nature also entails a loss of benefits that nature offers for health and wellbeing. Residents with other priorities and with declining wellbeing are less likely to advocate for nature, or to make time for nature-based activities in their daily lives. These factors can combine to create a feedback loops of further alienation. However, it is possible to alter the trends in Adelaide’s development with approaches that integrate living and built forms. Blending built and living elements more creatively can increase exposure to nature in daily life, enhancing wellbeing and providing more opportunities for connection. My thesis builds on research into nature connection that has begun to explore the relationship beyond the scale of individuals. I expand the definition of ‘nature connection’ to include that which lies beyond conscious awareness. My findings add to our understanding about how landscape change may impact nature connection and what factors influence those landscape changes. My insights and recommendations can guide decision makers who aim to increase beneficial exposure to urban nature, or to foster conscious nature connection among residents. This work is also a springboard for further research into nature connection at a societal scale. With better understanding of the barriers and opportunities for nature connection in cities, we can explore how a ‘nature-connected’ city may look and function into the future.
School/Discipline
School of Social Sciences : Geography, Environment and Population
Dissertation Note
Thesis (Ph.D.) -- University of Adelaide, School of Social Sciences : Geography, Environment and Population, 2024
Provenance
This electronic version is made publicly available by the University of Adelaide in accordance with its open access policy for student theses. Copyright in this thesis remains with the author. This thesis may incorporate third party material which has been used by the author pursuant to Fair Dealing exceptions. If you are the owner of any included third party copyright material you wish to be removed from this electronic version, please complete the take down form located at: http://www.adelaide.edu.au/legals