Credit: Seattle Parks
Emerging research investigates how active stewardship strengthens individual and community health.
A 2009 article out of the NYC Forest Service station investigated urban stewardship. Among other conclusions, the research suggests “stewardship and the active enjoyment of urban open space may produce the type of social and spatial relationships that help us to endure stressful episodes and conditions at the societal level.” Access the research article for free via the link below:
Svendsen, Erika 2009. Cultivating resilience: urban stewardship as a means to improving health and well-being. In: Campbell, Lindsay; Wiesen, Anne, eds. Restorative commons: creating health and well-being through urban landscapes. Gen. Tech Rep. NRS-P-39. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Northern Research Station: 58-87. Available online http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/5134
A 2015 student project investigated community-based restoration in the Seattle area. Carolyn Foster interviewed key stakeholders. She concludes “Four themes emerged from the interviews in addition to key motivations: competing uses of the restored space, ideal trail design, the role of community in restoration and ongoing maintenance, and relationships with Seattle Parks and Recreation and other collaborators. Understanding these differences is essential to informing long term management plans for urban greenspaces, a limited resource in the face of a growing population.” See the senior project via the link below:
Foster, C. 2015. University of Washington Senior Project. http://carolynfoster.weebly.com/uploads/2/5/4/3/25433068/senior_project_full_write_up.pdf