Aesthetic and Spiritual Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Sacred Sites
Abstract
:1. Introduction
2. Study Area
3. Methods
3.1. Data Collection
3.2. Statistical Analyses
4. Results
4.1. Congregants’ Use of and Sentiments towards Urban Sacred Spaces
4.2. Appreciation of Urban Sacred Spaces by Congregants
4.3. Contributions to Spiritual, Cultural and Aesthetic Experience
4.4. Perceived Social, Ecological and Economic Benefits from Urban Sacred Places
4.5. The Effect of Garden Attributes on User Perceptions
5. Discussion
6. Conclusions
Acknowledgments
Author Contributions
Conflicts of Interest
References
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A Church Garden is Necessary Because | Strongly Agree | Agree | Neutral | Disagree | Strongly Disagree | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | NG | G | NG | G | NG | G | NG | G | NG | |
It reminds me of the beauty created by God | 61 | 48 | 27 | 32 | 12 | 18 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
It adds character to the site | 53 | 30 | 36 | 50 | 10 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 2 |
It signifies tranquillity and peace | 63 | 35 | 32 | 53 | 5 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
It enhances ones religious experience | 27 | 10 | 29 | 33 | 32 | 35 | 9 | 17 | 3 | 5 |
It promotes remembrance of departed ones | 17 | 5 | 17 | 23 | 40 | 52 | 20 | 20 | 5 | 0 |
It provides reflection space | 39 | 18 | 42 | 70 | 15 | 12 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
It is not necessary at all | 1 | 0 | 5 | 18 | 17 | 35 | 23 | 30 | 53 | 17 |
Garden Attribute | Aesthetic | Cultural | Spiritual |
---|---|---|---|
A garden view would greatly improve my aesthetic, cultural or spiritual experience | 68 | 35 | 54 |
My aesthetic, cultural or spiritual experience would improve if the garden were larger | 36 | 4 | 18 |
My aesthetic, cultural or spiritual experience would improve if the garden have a greater variety of plants | 42 | 12 | 18 |
My aesthetic, cultural or spiritual experience would improve if it had specific tree species or amenities | 32 | 12 | 14 |
Benefits | Provided (%) | Not Previously, Considered (%) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
G | NG | G | NG | ||
Social | • As a place to meet that promotes social interaction among congregants | 71 | 83 | 29 | 17 |
• Improve an individual’s mood and relieves stress | 70 | 70 | 30 | 30 | |
• Improve the aesthetic beauty of the religious area | 72 | 80 | 28 | 20 | |
• Offer cultural, spiritual and aesthetic fulfilment | 57 | 50 | 44 | 50 | |
Ecological | • Remove pollutants from the air | 63 | 73 | 37 | 27 |
• Provide a home for birds, insects and small animals | 79 | 80 | 21 | 20 | |
• Help to reduce excessive water loss and run-off from concrete areas and protect soils from erosion | 55 | 67 | 45 | 33 | |
• Purify air and water of an area | 58 | 60 | 42 | 40 | |
• Reduce temperatures by providing shade (regulate micro-climate) | 73 | 77 | 27 | 23 | |
• Help reduce the noise levels | 50 | 43 | 50 | 58 | |
• Mitigation of climate change | 38 | 63 | 62 | 38 | |
• Diminish the intensity/force of strong winds | 45 | 43 | 55 | 37 | |
Economic | • Increase house or rent price of houses near the area | 29 | 30 | 71 | 70 |
• Make the area (and town) a tourist attraction, resulting in employment and revenues | 37 | 53 | 63 | 48 | |
• Reduce energy use (air conditioners, etc.) through regulation of the micro-climate | 25 | 43 | 75 | 58 |
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De Lacy, P.; Shackleton, C. Aesthetic and Spiritual Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Sacred Sites. Sustainability 2017, 9, 1628. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9091628
De Lacy P, Shackleton C. Aesthetic and Spiritual Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Sacred Sites. Sustainability. 2017; 9(9):1628. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9091628
Chicago/Turabian StyleDe Lacy, Peter, and Charlie Shackleton. 2017. "Aesthetic and Spiritual Ecosystem Services Provided by Urban Sacred Sites" Sustainability 9, no. 9: 1628. https://doi.org/10.3390/su9091628