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Place Qualities
In order to promote a healthy, socially rich and economically productive lifestyle in a neighbourhood, it is very important to design places with the landscape and for people (Table 1). Places should be designed to embody, among others, two important qualities, namely biophilia and sociopetality.
Biophilia refers to our innate affinity with and dependence on nature (Wilson, 1984). Our physical and leisure activities in nature directly affect our physical and mental health (Guite, Clark & Ackrill, 2006). With close encounter of nature such as greenery, birdlife, water features, we will experience reduced mental fatigue, lowered stress level, better moods and mental health (Pretty et al, 2007, p.212).
Sociopetal space refers to spatial arrangements that encourage social and interpersonal interactions of inhabitants in a neighbourhood (Naghilo and Falahat, 2016). These can be walkable neighbourhoods, open spaces, local markets, community gardens that people can use collectively, thus enhancing their sense of place and sense of belonging to the place (Leyden, 2003). Hence, places of high qualities are those that return greater benefits to their users. Place qualities are fundamental to people’s sense of place
Sense of Place
The term “sense of place” describes our connection with places. Places with access to nature, providing spaces for social interactions and satisfying our everyday needs, are places that we tend to use more. However, if a place is hostile or in decline, we may avoid using it. Our lived experiences in these places shape our self-identity and influence our sense of place attachment. If our connections with a place is positive, we may grow to love it or even sacrifice for it. Otherwise, we may feel uninsured or even develop mental ill-health (Rogers et al., 2008, p.367). The concept of sense of place can be described as consisting of three dimensions – the cognitive, the affective and the behavioural sense of place (Figure 6 & Table 2).
Sense of Well-being
Well-being means the experience of happiness, satisfaction and prosperity, usually representing a high quality of life. The concept of well-being has evolved from primary concerns about happiness, or the hedonic tradition (Fordyce, 1988), to incorporate more dimensions, including emotional well-being (Fullilove, 1996), psychological well-being (Ryff and Keyes, 1995) and social well-being (Keyes,1998, 2006) (Figure 7).
A scale developed by Keyes (2009) comprises 14 items to evaluate quantitatively the three dimensions of sense of well-being of an individual (Keyes, 2009). These aspects jointly contribute to mental health conditions of different states, ranging from flourishing to moderate mental health and languishing.
Sense of well-being matters in contemporary societies because non-material qualities as vital aspects of life are often overlooked. Material wealth is not equivalent to a better sense of well-being, yet sense of well-being is a determinant of physical health (Burton, 2015).
These definitions explain why a strong sense of place is important for our sense of well-being. Biophilic and sociopetal spaces allow us to develop casual encounters, increase our chances to accumulate social capital, develop positive relationships, collaborate to enhance the local neighbourhood, foster personal growth and a sense of environmental mastery and contribution to society.
Conclusion
If we collectively learn to build places according to the SDGs and the New Urban Agenda, we will build biophilic and sociopetal places with high qualities. The processes and the results will en- hance our sense of place and sense of well-being, basic building blocks of a sustainable city. How can we put all these concepts into actions, building three-in-one (environmentally sustainable, socially just and economically prosperous) neighbourhoods?
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