NOVELTY AND NOSTALGIA IN URBAN GREENSPACE: REFUGEE PERSPECTIVES

Clare Rishbeth and Nissa Finney

Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, 2006, vol. 97, issue 3, 281-295

Abstract: This paper investigates migrants’ perceptions and experiences of urban greenspaces. The research used innovative participatory and visual (photography) methods and the 12 week programme included visits to 10 greenspaces in Sheffield. The participants were all asylum seekers and refugees from Asia and Africa. This paper discusses how and why the participants engaged or disengaged with local greenspace in the short and medium term. In particular, the importance of memory and nostalgia in participants’ experiences; the significance of plants; the novelty of visiting British ‘parks’; and the role of greenspace in enhancing the quality of life of immigrants are explored. The paper concludes that a positive impression of the local environment and meaning‐ful participation in it can be a useful component of integration into a new society. Furthermore, recognition of landscape elements or characteristics can provide a conceptual link between former and new homes. However, for this refugee group many physical and psychological barriers must be overcome if the full benefits of urban public open space are to be realised.

Date: 2006
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (7)

Downloads: (external link)
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9663.2006.00520.x

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:bla:tvecsg:v:97:y:2006:i:3:p:281-295

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.blackwell ... bs.asp?ref=0040-747X

Access Statistics for this article

Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie is currently edited by Jan van Weesep

More articles in Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie from Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Wiley Content Delivery ().