Looking for the role of nature experiences in planning and decision making: a perspective from the Helsinki Metropolitan Area

• Published in: Sustainability : science, practice, & policy Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 45 - 55
• Main Authors: Faehnle, Maija, Bäcklund, Pia, Tyrväinen, Liisa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Philadelphia Routledge 01.04.2011; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Taylor & Francis Group
• Subjects: Built environment; Cities; City Planning; Decision Making; Environment; Environmental Factors; environmental planning; Finland; Forests; Helsinki, Finland; Knowledge; Legislation; Metropolitan Areas; Municipal government; Nature; Participation; Planning; public involvement; Public opinion; Quality of life; Reviews; Sustainability; Urban Areas; urban environments; Values; Well Being; Finland, Etelae-Suomi, Helsinki; Finland
• ISSN: 1548-7733; 1548-7733
• DOI: 10.1080/15487733.2011.11908064

Public experiences of everyday environments influence well-being and quality of life and effective planning for these environments can promote social sustainability. This article discusses how residents' values related to urban nature areas are as important as ecological and technical issues and can inform urban nature planning and decision making. We first provide a generic review of residents' values and meanings regarding urban nature. We then outline practices for obtaining data on these values and meanings and present examples from the Helsinki (Finland) Metropolitan Area. The article concludes with a discussion of the challenges that nature experiences bring to planning and decision making and highlights why and how insights generated as a result of residents' participation should be included in the knowledge base for planning decisions.