Seeing Community for the Trees: The Links among Contact with Natural Environments, Community Cohesion, and Crime
View / Open Files
Authors
Weinstein, N
Balmford, A
Dehaan, CR
Gladwell, V
Bradbury, RB
Amano, T
Publication Date
2015Alternative Title
Nature and Community Cohesion
Journal Title
BioScience
ISSN
0006-3568
Publisher
Oxford University Press (OUP)
Volume
65
Pages
1141-1153
Language
English
Type
Article
Metadata
Show full item recordCitation
Weinstein, N., Balmford, A., Dehaan, C., Gladwell, V., Bradbury, R., & Amano, T. (2015). Seeing Community for the Trees: The Links among Contact with Natural Environments, Community Cohesion, and Crime. BioScience, 65 1141-1153. https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biv151
Abstract
Individuals may be losing touch with nature as their contact with it decreases worldwide. While the consequences for people’s personal well-being outcomes are becoming well documented, there is almost no research examining the social correlates of contact with nature. This paper used a large nationally representative sample to link objective (% greenspace) and subjective measurements of contact with nature, community cohesion, and local crime incidence. The perceived quality, views, and amount of time spent in nature were linked to more community cohesion, and in turn the perception of cohesive communities enhances individual well-being outcomes and contributions back to society through higher workplace productivity and environmentally responsible behaviors. Findings also indicated that local nature was linked to lower crime both directly and indirectly through its effects on community cohesion.
Keywords
Nature, well-being, community cohesion, crime, SDT
Sponsorship
This research was funded in part by the ESRC (project number RES-064-27-0019).
Identifiers
External DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/biosci/biv151
This record's URL: https://www.repository.cam.ac.uk/handle/1810/251352
Rights
Licence:
http://www.rioxx.net/licenses/all-rights-reserved
Statistics