Relationship to place as catalyst for positive change

Abstract

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the lived experiences of individuals who self-identify as having a long-term relationship to park spaces within the Capital Region of South Vancouver Island, British Columbia. This study was guided by the main research question: how might an individual’s deeper relationship to place become a catalyst for positive change? Participants who engage in a variety of activities within park spaces were interviewed and interview data was analyzed, with five major themes emerging: First, the value of habit in creating patterns of meaning and transformation in one’s life. Second, the value of longitudinal relationships with a place through the medium of a meaningful experience/activity. Third, the value of early exposure to the natural world and the fundamental ways of being and knowing this fosters. Fourth, the value of noticing: how micro through macro observations reflect changes in both the landscape and self. And finally, the revelatory effect of time in nature and how this transforms the substance of self in its wake. These findings provide grounding for further synthesis as I seek to render legible the structures and dynamics of relationship to place within a bounded geography and pattern context. This work aims to contribute to the vast body of literature on place theory and our societal response to the climate crisis, both epistemologically and ontologically.