Associating sense of place and nature relatedness in the British Columbia Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region: a case study

ABSTRACT

This case study is part of a project examining the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region – a UNESCO-designated biosphere reserve on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. We aimed to understand the extent to which individuals in six communities experience psychological variables linked to pro-social and pro-environmental outcomes, such as sense of place – comprised of place attachment, place identity, and place dependence – and nature-relatedness. We also explored how these attitudes relate to residents’ perceived views of, and walkable access to, nature. Overall, sense of place was neutral; nature relatedness and perceptions of views and access to nature were significantly stronger than sense of place. Although these two variables, as well as sense of place and perceptions of views and walkable access to nature correlated in the region on aggregate, significant associations were not revealed per community. Over 60% of responses to an open-ended item about physical features that contribute to sense of place concerned the natural environment – rather than social or built amenities. Municipal planners may capitalize on restorative effects that arise when community members form connections with nature, and concentrate funding or public engagement on trails, parks, and other natural features to bolster sense of place in coastal and mountainous communities.

KEYWORDS:

• Sense of place
• nature-relatedness
• community
• nature accessibility

This article is related to:

Research for city practice

Acknowledgements

Special thanks to Ariel Verhoeks, BA ADGIS, for generating maps and figures.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This research was funded by the Canadian Mountain Network.

Notes on contributors

Lindsay J. McCunn

Dr. Lindsay McCunn is a Professor of psychology at Vancouver Island University (VIU) and the Director of VIU’s Environmental Psychology Research Lab. She is also the Principal of McCunn & Associates Consulting and the co-Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Environmental Psychology. Dr. McCunn received her BA, MSc, and PhD at the University of Victoria in British Columbia, Canada. She also earned an additional MSc in applied neuroscience with the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience via distance learning at King’s College London in the UK. Lindsay’s research is published in a number of interdisciplinary journals that merge social science with engineering, sustainability, community planning, health care design, and facilities management. She is the Chair of the environmental psychology section of the Canadian Psychological Association, and the Chair of the Environmental Design Research Association. She is also a Canadian Delegate to the General Assembly of the International Union of Psychological Science and an Associate Editor for the journal Cities & Health. Dr. McCunn has co-edited special issues of journals concerning sustainable construction and psychology’s role in climate change. In addition to fulfilling her teaching responsibilities at VIU, Dr. McCunn continues to collaborate with federal, provincial, municipal, and state sectors of government, as well as with architecture and engineering firms, school districts, hospitals, prisons, and neighborhood organizations in Canada and the US.

Karissa Sawyer

Karissa Sawyer received her BSc in Psychology from Vancouver Island University (VIU) in British Columbia, Canada. As a Research Assistant for VIU’s Environmental Psychology Research Lab and the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute, her research focused on both natural and built settings, ranging from coastal and mountainous communities to the hospital environment. She has a keen interest in the ability of environments to support human health and well-being in all areas, including, but not limited to physical, cognitive, social, and emotional domains.

Taylor Shorting

Taylor Shorting received her BA (hons) in psychology, a diploma in social services, as well as a certificate in addiction studies from Vancouver Island University (VIU) in British Columbia, Canada. As a Research Assistant for VIU’s Environmental Psychology Research Lab and the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute, Taylor’s research explored the impacts of both natural and built environments on human well-being. Taylor’s research interests include the influence that built environments have on psychosocial wellbeing—particularly how residential environments affect the psychosocial wellbeing of those who transact with the particular space.