• Considering the benefits that people gain from passive encounters with metro
nature, there is still much to learn about the mechanisms through which nature
contact improves health and well-being. Additional questions about nature contact concern the character of nature that is provided to people, the activities
within, and for how long. Such research on dosage is of great interest. Better
understanding about the needs of specific populations is also important, such as
nature in the life of children versus elders, or differences across the ethnic groups.
• As engineers and planners continue to explore and refine both generalizable and
place-specific practices for sustainable cities, how might goals of co-benefits be
more readily integrated? For instance, how might stormwater management systems that rely on natural filtration be configured to also provide high-quality
nature contact for disease prevention and health promotion (Wolf and The Nature
Conservancy 2018)? Might microparks be integrated within a green infrastructure
corridor for direct nature experiences in a neighborhood?
• Perhaps the least understood and greatest opportunity is to better understand the
role and expression of civic sacred as an overlay on the functional landscapes
generated by sanitary and sustainable city practices. Is it possible to create places
evoking calm, contemplation, and mindfulness in the midst of systems that serve
primarily as utilities, and how might people actively participate to contribute the
social and personal meanings that comprise the sacred?
• Some of the most recent studies in urban social–ecological systems are exploring
the role of stewardship in governance and social resilience in communities. Could
the idea of sacred spaces be developed as an intentional intervention to enable
self-action and develop capacity to withstand community shocks or tragedies?
Could they be employed in disaster relief and recovery programs?
• The coronavirus pandemic has activated public health stay-at-home orders and
social distancing policies. The resulting mental and community health challenges
have raised public awareness about the importance of nearby green spaces. What
is the role of nature in providing therapeutic opportunities, and how might the
civic sacred support mindful healing?
8.7.3 Challenges: Planning and Equity
Some spaces achieve a sacred status through a formal public dedication or affiliation
with religious institutions. Others emerge spontaneously in response to key events,
sense of loss, cultural memory, or celebration. The latter is often located in appropriated spaces (such as a vacant lot, or an abandoned waterfront site) and is created
through collective action and work of formal and informal groups.
There are tensions between the vernacular places that have deep meanings and the
more rigorously applied standards of sanitary and sustainability systems. If spontaneous, independent activity is at the center of meaning making, how can such places
be integrated into institutionalized systems that have stringently defined dimensions
and functions? Would it be possible to integrate informal place making with formal
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K. L. Wolf
nature, there is still much to learn about the mechanisms through which nature
contact improves health and well-being. Additional questions about nature contact concern the character of nature that is provided to people, the activities
within, and for how long. Such research on dosage is of great interest. Better
understanding about the needs of specific populations is also important, such as
nature in the life of children versus elders, or differences across the ethnic groups.
• As engineers and planners continue to explore and refine both generalizable and
place-specific practices for sustainable cities, how might goals of co-benefits be
more readily integrated? For instance, how might stormwater management systems that rely on natural filtration be configured to also provide high-quality
nature contact for disease prevention and health promotion (Wolf and The Nature
Conservancy 2018)? Might microparks be integrated within a green infrastructure
corridor for direct nature experiences in a neighborhood?
• Perhaps the least understood and greatest opportunity is to better understand the
role and expression of civic sacred as an overlay on the functional landscapes
generated by sanitary and sustainable city practices. Is it possible to create places
evoking calm, contemplation, and mindfulness in the midst of systems that serve
primarily as utilities, and how might people actively participate to contribute the
social and personal meanings that comprise the sacred?
• Some of the most recent studies in urban social–ecological systems are exploring
the role of stewardship in governance and social resilience in communities. Could
the idea of sacred spaces be developed as an intentional intervention to enable
self-action and develop capacity to withstand community shocks or tragedies?
Could they be employed in disaster relief and recovery programs?
• The coronavirus pandemic has activated public health stay-at-home orders and
social distancing policies. The resulting mental and community health challenges
have raised public awareness about the importance of nearby green spaces. What
is the role of nature in providing therapeutic opportunities, and how might the
civic sacred support mindful healing?
8.7.3 Challenges: Planning and Equity
Some spaces achieve a sacred status through a formal public dedication or affiliation
with religious institutions. Others emerge spontaneously in response to key events,
sense of loss, cultural memory, or celebration. The latter is often located in appropriated spaces (such as a vacant lot, or an abandoned waterfront site) and is created
through collective action and work of formal and informal groups.
There are tensions between the vernacular places that have deep meanings and the
more rigorously applied standards of sanitary and sustainability systems. If spontaneous, independent activity is at the center of meaning making, how can such places
be integrated into institutionalized systems that have stringently defined dimensions
and functions? Would it be possible to integrate informal place making with formal
154
K. L. Wolf