Green Care: A Conceptual Framework - Frisk i naturen

for community development, neighbourhood empowerment and social
reform, revitalizing communities (Westphal, 1999).
Urban community greening includes establishment of community
gardens, urban agricultural projects, tree planting and other plant-related
activities. Urban community greening can contribute to social capital and
community capacity building as residents get to know each other while
sharing experiences (Westphal, 1999). Community greening encourages
feelings of connectedness and empowerment, fosters an increased sense
of ability, and provides sense of accomplishment, pride and ownership.
Resident involvement has a positive impact on neighbourhood attachment,
residential satisfaction, political awareness and ties to community resources
strengthen (Armstrong, 2000).
Tidball and Kransy (2006) have introduced the idea that community
greening can create resilience within urban socio-ecological systems.
Systems which lack resilience are susceptible to disturbance whereas
diversity in functional and structural controls develops urban resilience.
Urban community greening builds up social and human capital in cities by
engaging diverse stakeholders, promoting self-organization to learn from
and adaptively apply different types of knowledge. In the same way, the
process of ‘community’ greening is a prevalent theme in many green care
approaches, where health and social benefits are derived from nurturing
greenspaces together with others.
5.3.3 Food production in urban areas: Allotment
gardening and urban agriculture
Individual and collective approaches to growing food in urban areas link
closely with many examples of green care. Green care initiatives such as
STH, and care farming can often include vegetable and fruit cultivation for
both therapeutic and consumption purposes. The objectives of allotment
and community gardening and urban agriculture initiatives can vary
according to settings and circumstances. In developing countries such
initiatives are often primarily for food production and poverty mitigation,
whereas in more developed countries, although historically they have
been important for food production, recreation and leisure are now key
considerations.
62 Green Care: A Conceptual Framework