Greening for meaning: Sense of place in green citizen initiatives in the Netherlands

Abstract

Increased global urbanisation has progressively disconnected humans and nature, resulting in public health challenges. Green citizen initiatives (e.g. food forests or community gardens) have the potential to reconnect people with nature and provide a source of meaning in life. This mixed methods study aimed to understand the meanings attributed to green citizen initiatives by using the concept of sense of place and to investigate which factors predict this sense of place. Surveys (n = 130) were used alongside interviews with 38 participants of ten green citizen initiatives in the Netherlands. Findings demonstrate a strong sense of place among participants in the green citizen initiatives, which was significantly predicted by meaningful experiences, sense of safety within the initiative and length of involvement. Participation in green citizen initiatives appears to create meaning across and beyond the three dimensions of sense of place – place attachment, place identity and place dependence – and, additionally, a broader societal meaning of place. Findings imply that green citizen initiatives are valuable assets for health and wellbeing.