Concrete Human
André Clemetsen
At home in my city
I feel at home in my city. In the time before winter settles like a quiet desert landscape over the rooftops.
The autumn air, the frost on the grass – small signs of something larger. And out there, above the city, the view opens toward the future.
35,005 people living in Norway answered a survey on how strongly they felt they belonged where they live. The same survey asked how much meaning they found in their lives. The outdoor education researcher Raúl Grau Ruiz and the co-author Helga Synnevåg Løvoll set the answers against the outdoor spaces near each home. A recreation area within 200 metres of home and a hiking area within 500 metres both went with a stronger sense of belonging and more meaning in life. The recreation area went with them more strongly.
Raúl Grau Ruiz and Helga Synnevåg Løvoll, Journal of Adventure Education & Outdoor Learning, 2024
doi.org/10.1080/14729679.2024.2412081