uses, and often carved out of public lands. They may be dispersed throughout the
city in everyday and highly public landscapes such as traffic islands, sidewalk edges,
waterfronts, or at the base of large trees. The relationship between nature and
meaning may be expressed as a nature-based activity (such as a tree planting) or
as objects brought to a memorial or ceremony (such as flowers). Locations can
include a subspace within public green space (such as existing parks or gardens) at
sites of historic or local significance (such as city halls or schools) or at key places in
daily life (places where people work, shop, or drive), within large spaces, or tiny
slivers of space.
Once established they can continue to serve their creators as local gathering
places or as places of intentional community visibility and reflection during daily
routines. People may continue to engage with a place by gathering to view the
location of a tragic event or its aftermath, provide decoration during key holidays or
dates, provide ongoing care and renewal of plants or other materials, make use of
ways to leave thoughts or words (such as mailbox, journal, prayer flags, and
ribbons), and participate in periodic ceremonies (such as an annual remembrance
event).
Some organizations support the creation of civic sacred spaces. One example is
the TKF Foundation, sponsor of the Nature Sacred program (Wolf and Wyatt 2015).
The foundation has contributed to the creation of more than 130 Open Spaces Sacred
Places in the recent decades. These spaces and gardens are located within the
mid-Atlantic region in the United States, where they are placed at schools, hospitals,
places of worship, prisons, and within neighborhoods. They have been designed and
constructed based on the Nature Sacred mission to “provide opportunity for a deeper
human experience within carefully crafted public green spaces that offer temporary
sanctuary, encourage reflection, provide solace, and engender peace and wellbeing.” Every site has been created with community partners, often coordinated by
a local liaison, the “fire soul” of the project. Every sacred place includes a bench,
providing a comfortable place to sit and reflect, including the opportunity to add an
entry to a public journal.
8.5 Benefits of Nature-Based Sacred Spaces
An earlier section provided an overview of the human health and wellness benefits
associated with experiences of metro nature. The previous section considered how
civic sacred might emerge and be experienced in everyday settings in people’s lives.
How might these perspectives intersect? This section describes empirical findings
about the encounters and experiences that sacred spaces offer. There are evidencebased links between mental and physical health and the outdoor spaces that support
relaxation and reflection. Such spaces provide opportunities to enjoy, sit quietly,
commune with others, celebrate, meditate or pray, turn inward, and self-reflect.
8 From Sanitary to Sustainable to Sacred: Metro Nature Experiences and. . .
147
city in everyday and highly public landscapes such as traffic islands, sidewalk edges,
waterfronts, or at the base of large trees. The relationship between nature and
meaning may be expressed as a nature-based activity (such as a tree planting) or
as objects brought to a memorial or ceremony (such as flowers). Locations can
include a subspace within public green space (such as existing parks or gardens) at
sites of historic or local significance (such as city halls or schools) or at key places in
daily life (places where people work, shop, or drive), within large spaces, or tiny
slivers of space.
Once established they can continue to serve their creators as local gathering
places or as places of intentional community visibility and reflection during daily
routines. People may continue to engage with a place by gathering to view the
location of a tragic event or its aftermath, provide decoration during key holidays or
dates, provide ongoing care and renewal of plants or other materials, make use of
ways to leave thoughts or words (such as mailbox, journal, prayer flags, and
ribbons), and participate in periodic ceremonies (such as an annual remembrance
event).
Some organizations support the creation of civic sacred spaces. One example is
the TKF Foundation, sponsor of the Nature Sacred program (Wolf and Wyatt 2015).
The foundation has contributed to the creation of more than 130 Open Spaces Sacred
Places in the recent decades. These spaces and gardens are located within the
mid-Atlantic region in the United States, where they are placed at schools, hospitals,
places of worship, prisons, and within neighborhoods. They have been designed and
constructed based on the Nature Sacred mission to “provide opportunity for a deeper
human experience within carefully crafted public green spaces that offer temporary
sanctuary, encourage reflection, provide solace, and engender peace and wellbeing.” Every site has been created with community partners, often coordinated by
a local liaison, the “fire soul” of the project. Every sacred place includes a bench,
providing a comfortable place to sit and reflect, including the opportunity to add an
entry to a public journal.
8.5 Benefits of Nature-Based Sacred Spaces
An earlier section provided an overview of the human health and wellness benefits
associated with experiences of metro nature. The previous section considered how
civic sacred might emerge and be experienced in everyday settings in people’s lives.
How might these perspectives intersect? This section describes empirical findings
about the encounters and experiences that sacred spaces offer. There are evidencebased links between mental and physical health and the outdoor spaces that support
relaxation and reflection. Such spaces provide opportunities to enjoy, sit quietly,
commune with others, celebrate, meditate or pray, turn inward, and self-reflect.
8 From Sanitary to Sustainable to Sacred: Metro Nature Experiences and. . .
147