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NATURE IN THE CITY: Ecological Consciousness Development Associated with Naturalized Urban Spaces and Urban Forest Values in Calgary, AB and Halifax, NS

In an increasingly urbanized world, how cities are designed and built affect how urbanites
connect to the natural world and develop an ecological consciousness. Findings indicate
that people value different urban landscapes for unique reasons but that urban trees
provide numerous aesthetic, psychological, social, educational, ecological, moral and
economic benefits. Many urban forest values are interwoven across these value
categories. How people defined nature, what emotional states the landscape engendered
and how they were able to actively engage with natural elements within urban landscapes
all influenced participants? sense of belonging to a broader natural community. Overall,
findings support the notion that naturalized spaces, even small spaces, can invoke a sense
of connectedness with nature within participants. Yet, many respondents suggest that
urban nature experiences may not be enough for the general population to develop an
ecological consciousness, rather that they require additional educational support.

Identiferoai:union.ndltd.org:LACETR/oai:collectionscanada.gc.ca:NSHD.ca#10222/13180
Date12 October 2010
CreatorsPeckham, Shawna C
Source SetsLibrary and Archives Canada ETDs Repository / Centre d'archives des thèses électroniques de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada
LanguageEnglish
Detected LanguageEnglish

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