The world-wide problem of increasing greenhouse gas emissions has received considerable attention in recent decades. In South Africa, several factors necessitate residential energy efficiency research. These include the high levels of pollution caused by the generation of electricity with low quality coal, which is fairly readily available, the increasing consumer base since 1994, and electricity price increases of 20% per annum since 2008. This study investigates qualitative and quantitative aspects of energy efficiency strategies employed in 41 South African households from diverse socio-economic backgrounds, within the Pretoria region. Field work was conducted during 2010 and 2011. This research was conducted using a multi-phased combined experimental and ex post facto mixed methodology. Actual electricity consumption levels were recorded in all participating households, which were divided into two experimental groups, but only participants in the first experimental group participated in an interview and intervention to reduce electricity consumption. Measurements were followed by focus group sessions open to all participants. Thematic analysis was used to identify participants’ main strategies for energy efficiency, and the effectiveness of these strategies was quantified. The qualitative and quantitative findings are discussed both separately from and in conjunction with one another. Feedback was shown to be a key factor in enabling behaviour change. Needs not only for information but for guidance in its interpretation are highlighted, particularly where literacy levels are lower. Erroneous beliefs about the functioning of appliances were identified and quantified. Winter was identified as the best time to introduce an intervention and improve energy savings due to the ‘normal’ steep increase during that time. Popular and effective strategies employed in households to reduce electricity consumption were also identified. This study culminates in a theoretical model, placing the micro, meso and exo implications of residential energy efficiency in a cyclical empowerment model of environmental concern, the need for information, behaviour change and the resulting need for feedback. Suggestions for policy development and future research are made focussing specifically on the role of females in designing energy efficiency measures, measuring quality of life and not just kWhs and emphasising the importance of real-time feedback on consumption. / Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2015. / Psychology / Unrestricted

This thesis draws upon the young theory of eco-masculinities and the aspiring movement of economic degrowth. We find the concept of eco-masculinities to be an underrepresented complement to the movement of ecofeminism. Studies show that masculine people are less involved in sustainability-related issues in conventional society. We identified this phenomenon as the ‘eco gender characteristics gap’. In the following pages, we elaborate what eco-masculinities can look like at an ecovillage and where we can see possible connections between eco-masculinities and a degrowth mindset. We do so by analysing qualitative data derived from observations of, interviews with and a questionnaire filled out by people living in ecovillages. At an ecovillage, it seems that awareness about feelings and emotions as well as communicating them are highly valued. Our analysis shows that these factors form crucial parts of precepts for eco-masculinities to develop. Connected to degrowth, we can see that eco-masculinities have to be actively implemented and are not automatically attained by living in an alternative setting. We hope that our gained insights contribute to gender characteristics research and to the understanding and acceptance of diverse eco-masculinities in society. / <p>Due to COVID-19, the presentation was held online in a Zoom meeting.</p>

Personal space is a spatial privacy layer that regulates access to the self, without it our ability to function properly is impaired. An attack on the personal space is an attack on the person itself. Thus, personal space can be seen as a part of the self. The environment can be a part of personal space and therefore also seen as part of the self. Personal space, as the direct space surrounding the body, is framing the conscious experience of self. Due to its abstract nature, it is more appropriate to impact that experience by framing personal space through the environment. How to bridge something that fleeting with something so concreate is not obvious. This thesis tries to find a useful methodology for this through available research, own experiments, and discussion. Theories about stimulation, affordance theory, and prospect refuge theory, seems to together capture the whole quite well into something more tangible. The experience of personal space is concluded to be too ambiguous to properly design around and letting the user regulate it themselves by moving through a dynamic environment seems more fruitful. Ambient factors impact the need of personal space but the thresholds between spaces are where dynamics of the larger environment is concentrated. Therefore, they are more decisive in framing personal space and the architect’s attention should arguably be directed towards these.

Includes bibliography. / The aim of the present study is to produce, and to begin to illustrate the use of, a theoretical model by which varying attitudes to, and experiences of, wilderness may be understood. A classical Jungian developmental framework is utilised for these purposes. The paper begins with brief definitions of the concepts pertinent to this work followed by a fairly comprehensive summary of Neumann's developmental model. The author's model, constructed on this theoretical basis, is then outlined and applied at a mythological level to the attitudes to wilderness manifest in the Judaeo - Christian religions. In the discussion, indications are given as to how the model might be applied at individual and cultural levels. One person's experience of wilderness is interpreted within the context of the theory followed by a brief discussion on the use of the model in informing therapeutic wilderness programming. Traditional North American Indian and contemporary Western attitudes towards wilderness are then briefly interpreted. It is concluded that this paper illustrates the usefulness of a Jungian model in understanding wilderness experience. Within the context of this framework, the value of a developmental perspective is noted.

Denna studie undersöker hur ’känsla av plats’, betraktat som menings- och anknytningsskapande till plats, påverkar individuellt och allmänt mentalt välbefinnande. Genom appliceringen av förkroppsligad autoetnografi syftar den till att skildra ett personligt narrativ om egna upplevelser från att gå på gatorna i Stockholms innerstad. Forskningsfrågan är: V ad kan ett autoetnografiskt och förkroppsligat tillvägagångssätt bidra till framväxande teorier och metoder som berör sambandet mellan känsla av plats och mentalt välbefinnande? Från det explorativa tillvägagångssättet presenteras några påståenden framåt slutet baserat på resultaten. För det första är det viktigt för utövare, teoretiker och medborgare att utforska platsbetydelser som en del av och i platsen, för att utveckla förståelse och ifrågasätta sociokulturella konstruktioner av att veta och leva. För det andra är det ett etiskt imperativ att vara uppmärksam på affekter och känslor i relation till plats, där ett ökat intresse från de som jobbar med offentliga miljöer behövs. För det tredje består meningsfulla platser av invecklade nätverk av jaget, andra och miljöer, vilket belyser hur miljön sällan har företräde i sig själv. Slutligen visar det autoetnografiska och förkroppsligade tillvägagångssättet på potential för förändring bortom fantasin, där känslighet kan öppna länge stängda dörrar och välkomna något nytt. Resultaten och reflektionerna antyder gemensamt att den inneboende komplexiteten i förhållandet måste bemötas med flexibilitet och öppenhet, snarare än att reduceras och separeras i fraktioner. / This study explores how sense of place, viewed as the attribution of meaning and emotional attachment to place, influences individual and public mental wellbeing. It is performed through a practice of embodied autoethnography, which seeks to portray a vulnerable narrative of the researcher herself in relation to walking the streets of inner-city Stockholm. The research question is: What can an autoethnographic and embodied approach contribute to emerging theories and practices concerned with the relationship between sense of place and mental wellbeing? From the explorative approach applied, some tentative prompts and claims are made towards the finishing chapters. First, it is vital for practitioners, theorists, and citizens to explore place meanings first-hand, to further understand and question socio-cultural constructions of knowing and living. Second, it is an ethical imperative to pay attention to affects, feelings, and emotions in place, in which heightened acknowledgement is needed for all concerned with ordering public spheres. Third, meanings of place consist of intricate networks of self, others, and environments, highlighting how the environment rarely takes precedence in or for itself. Finally, the autoethnographic and embodied approach to study recognizes the potential for change beyond imagination, in which vulnerability can open long-shut doors and welcome the becoming of something new. The findings and reflections jointly suggest the complexities must be met plurally rather than reduced and separated into fractions.

The aim of this essay is to create an increased understanding within spatial behaviour of how people relate to their surroundings and to strengthen knowledge about the importance of design. This by investigating whether it is possible, through design of the physical environment, to contribute to creating and strengthening a place for people to meet on the countryside. In this report, we will go through some spatial theories about how people perceive space as well as take a closer look at previous research and studies in urban design and environmental psychology. This study will be based in a small community in Burträsk located in Skellefteå municipality and will thus function as a case study based in reality. The results of the study are based on a location analysis to get an idea of the place's physical design as well as a survey to get answers on how people experience the physical environment.

Cities worldwide need to become healthier, both physically and mentally. While Sweden ranks highly on a global scale of sustainable urban development, the country is facing issues with the declining mental health of its citizens, notably affecting the younger population. To sustainably develop our cities, possible negative impacts on the people must be recognised and avoided. Situated in the interdisciplinary field of Urban Studies, this research combines environmental psychology, architecture, and urban planning, while also considering the political aspects of city development. This thesis aims to study the concept of restorative environments, spaces which positively influence well-being and restore mental fatigue caused by external and internal stressors. Previous studies on restorativeness have focused on outdoor natural environments, considered to encompass the highest levels of restorative qualities. However, to develop mentally healthy cities, the restorativeness of built environments must be considered, which is especially important as we spend most of our lives indoors. This thesis analyses cafés used as informal learning spaces by university students in Malmö through the main research question: ‘What restorative qualities exist in the indoor built environment of cafés utilised as informal learning spaces (ILS) by students in Malmö, Sweden?’. Collected data through document analysis, quantitative survey and qualitative follow-up sessions are analysed through the theories of Attention Restoration Theory and concepts of third place and thirdspace. Whereas previously published research suggests that built environments lack restorative qualities, findings in this research provide not only the identification of such qualities but a preference for them. Both concepts of third places and thirdspaces are especially relevant for students at Malmö University, in which the city becomes the campus. However, there is a disconnect between the policy-making level and the students where current urban development laws fail to recognise restorative qualities. Subsequently, this research will provide results to a gap in existing research and hopefully encourage future studies on similar topics.

The overall aim of this grounded theory multiple-case study was to better understand how K-12 independent schools (“schools”) in the United States cultivate a connection between children and adolescents (“students”) and the natural world (“environment”) by exploring the interplay between this connection and (a) the school community (“community connectedness”) and (b) personal sense/belief about spirituality. The aim was guided by key research questions, which include: (Q1) How do schools in the United States cultivate a connection between students and the natural environment? (Q2) Why do schools cultivate a connection between students and the natural environment? (Q3) What is the interplay between the natural environment and the school community? And (Q4) What is the interplay between the natural environment and personal sense/belief about spirituality? This study utilized a grounded theory multiple-case study approach to conduct a secondary analysis on data previously collected as part of a parent study. Representative data from 4 of the 20 schools (Cedar Highlands, Mapleton, Tabiona, and Rocky Ridge) in the parent study were analyzed for the purposes of this grounded theory multiple-case study. Data were collected by conducting 1- to 2-day site visits to each school. Data collection methods included: (a) face-to-face individual interviews and group discussions with key school personnel (including teachers, faculty, staff, and parents); (b) general observations (including, but not limited to, classes, student groups/activities, faculty meetings, campus life, school culture, and extracurricular activities); (c) desk review of reports and documents (including organizational documents, such as strategic reports, and public documents, such as blogs and articles); and (d) audiovisual materials primarily in the form of photographs. For the current study, an inductive analytic strategy was utilized to identify emergent concepts from the previously coded data. Within the inductive framework of the current study, cross-case synthesis, with a case-based approach, was utilized to compare within-case patterns across the four individual cases and to address the research questions. Emergent themes and results from cross-case synthesis were utilized to develop an initial working theory of environmental education that is spiritually formative as a component of overall healthy development.

Social hållbarhet är ett ämne som är mer aktuellt nu än någonsin, även om det sällan diskuteras i samband med estetik i den bebyggda miljön. De miljöer vi bygger är också de platser där vi tillbringar majoriteten av vår tid, och de påverkar hur vi mår. I takt med att städer växer och blir tätare så blir gestaltningen av dessa platser allt viktigare. Estetiken utgör en stor del av den bebyggda miljön och vår upplevelse när vi rör oss i städerna. Studier visar på att människor föredrar vissa estetiska element framför andra, och att både kropp och hjärna reagerar på estetiska stimuli. I den här uppsatsen utforskas sambandet mellan vad den forskning som finns kring exteriör byggnadsestetik säger, och hur estetiska preferenser inkluderas och diskuteras i stadsbyggnadsprojektet Rosendal i Uppsala i Sverige. / Social sustainability is discussed more today than ever before, but seldom in the context of aesthetics in the built environment. The environments we build are where we spend most of our time, and they affect our wellbeing. With cities growing faster and becoming denser, how we design our home becomes more and more important. Aesthetic variables are a large part of what the built environment is, and constitute much of what we experience on a daily basis when moving around our city. Studies suggest that some aesthetic elements are preferred over others, and that both body and brain respond to aesthetic stimuli. This thesis explores the relationship between what has been found on the subject of building exterior aesthetics so far, and how evidence on aesthetic preferences is addressed in the development project of Rosendal in Uppsala, Sweden

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