Wellbeing Space and Society最新文献

This article explores Somali hospitality's ontological functions as a cultural custom that functions to enhance the well-being of its (Somali) visitor(s). Interviews with first-generation Somali Canadians (n = 27) depicted Somali hospitality as a choreographed ritual which caters care-fully and sequentially to guests’ well-being. From door to departure, the guest is 'top-down centralized' — the custom commencing first with an attention to a guest's physiological needs (e.g., food, drink, shelter); then shifting to focus on their welfare necessities (e.g., financial, social, medical), and concluding with an implicit awareness of guests' social well-being (e.g., sense of community, sense of belonging in place). During Somali hospitality, both home and host are transformed into material sites of protection, the cultural customs of the homeland providing a buffer against the weight of occupying a multiply racialized (Black, Somali and Muslim) in settler colonial place. Occurring in the private geographies of Somali home(s), the ritual provides Somalis a temporary break from the structural logics of anti-blackness and Orientalism negotiated daily in public space. Through prioritization of homeland social dynamics, the custom care-fully re-positions Somali guests from margin to center — from out of place, to in place. In focusing on geographies of the Somali home and the concealed spaces of racialized Black folk, this work contributes to the areas of Black feminist and Muslim geographies as well as to diaspora research concerned with migrant well-being at large. Most importantly, by highlighting the qualitative intricacies of Somali hospitality, this work validates the existence Black Arab cultural customs, for they remain largely subordinated within and erased from the Arab social imagination.

The notion of children's independent mobility is often used to help to understand how much freedom children have in their neighbourhoods, but it does not provide evidence on how autonomous and in control they are over their actions. This is important when considering the influence of children's neighbourhood mobility on their well-being, with autonomy known to be an important element of children's psychological well-being.

This paper draws on findings from a research study working with 9 and 10 year olds living in inner London, England. Findings from the study highlight the importance of children's autonomous time within their neighbourhoods. They suggest that this measure is more reflective of the children's experiences of their neighbourhoods and more closely linked to their well-being than their independent mobility. Analysis highlights the importance of active travel and play within the neighbourhood, whether independent or not.

This paper investigates the associations between the multiple dimensions of individuals’ sense of place and subjective well-being. The impact of objective and subjective housing and neighbourhood attributes on sense of place was also examined. Using a questionnaire and government spatial datasets, data were collected from residents of two marginalised communities in Hong Kong, Sham Shui Po and Tin Shui Wai. The results reveal positive relationships between various facets of sense of place and subjective well-being that vary in strength in different urban forms. Among the attributes of housing and neighbourhood analysed, housing satisfaction is found to be the strongest predictor of sense of place. The study further verifies the use of a synthesised three-dimensional scale to measure sense of place. It also has important implications for urban planning policies and practices for high-density cities.

The pursuit of flourishing, or living a good life, is a common human endeavor with different meanings across individuals and contexts. What is needed is a further exploration of the relationship between flourishing and health, particularly chronic illness, which affects individuals across the life course and is affected by experiences of stress derived from social and structural vulnerability.

Drawing on data from the Soweto Syndemics study, including a locally derived stress scale and in-depth interviews, we explore the connections between flourishing and health for those living with multiple chronic illnesses in Soweto, South Africa within a syndemic of communicable and non-communicable disease. Rather than drawing on Western-centric notions of flourishing (which place emphasis on an individual's capabilities or capacities to thrive), we draw on previous ethnographic work on flourishing in Soweto, South Africa, which described how ukuphumelela, or “becoming victorious,” as a social or communal affair. This conceptualization reflects local values and priorities for people's lives and the ways in which their lives are deeply intertwined with each other.

We contribute to a more robust understanding of flourishing in context, of how chronic illness is experienced, and of how the role of a patient is transcended in spaces where individuals are part of a social or faith community. As people living with chronic illness(es) actively pursue the good life, health care systems must consider these pursuits as valid parts of the human experience that also challenge narrow definitions of health.

Cities need places that contribute to quality of life, places that support social interaction. Wellbeing, specifically, community wellbeing, is influenced by where people live, the quality of place is important and who they connect with socially. Social interaction and connection can come from the routine involvement with others, the behavioural acts of seeing and being with others. This research consisted of 38 interviews of residents of Christchurch, New Zealand, in the years following the 2010-12 earthquakes. Residents were asked about the place they lived and their interactions within their community. The aim was to examine the role of neighbourhood in contributing to local social connections and networks that contribute to living well. Specifically, it focused on the role and importance of social infrastructure in facilitating less formal social interactions in local neighbourhoods. It found that neighbourhood gathering places and bumping spaces can provide benefit for living well. Social infrastructure, like libraries, parks, primary schools, and pubs are some of the places of neighbourhood that contributed to how well people can encounter others for social interaction. In addition, unplanned interactions were facilitated by the existence of bumping places, such as street furniture. The wellbeing value of such spaces needs to be acknowledged and factored into planning decisions, and local rules and regulations need to allow the development of such spaces.

Just as ecological degradation contributes to many public health problems, restoration of these areas can be health-enabling not only for the environment but also for people. However, despite growing recognition of the positive relationships between ecological restoration and human health, knowledge gaps persist. Rural areas are most closely affected by ecological degradation from industries such as forestry, farming and mining and rural populations suffer the poorest health outcomes. Nevertheless, the wellbeing benefits of ecological restoration for participants and communities in these areas are under-researched. Rural wellbeing is impacted by factors of geographic isolation, poverty and limited health services which generate rural health inequities. Place-based ecological restoration activities have the potential to address individual and community-level wellbeing issues. In this paper we report on a qualitative study from the Break O'Day municipality in Tasmania, Australia, the site of over 20 years of ecological restoration by local people. The organisation leading the restoration work, the Northeast Bioregional Network, observed that well-organised holistic ecological restoration projects could cultivate ecological ethics and improve human health. Using interview data, we explored the lived impacts of ecological restoration on various aspects of participant health and wellbeing, as well as the observed community-wide benefits. Our analysis identified certain characteristics of place-based ecological restoration participation that are supportive of wellbeing, and the opportunities for improved synergies between ecological restoration and mainstream rural health service provision. We conclude that participation in well-designed, holistic ecological restoration programs can contribute to ameliorating complex health problems affecting rural communities.