Urban Forest Stories
Exploring the intersectional environmental relation between senses of belonging and equitable access to urban forest places
For many humans, urban forests are nature close to home. For more-than-human beings, urban forests are home. At the same time, engagement with and access to urban forests and their countless benefits are unequal. Quantitative data show how human age, ethnicity, health, and deprivation influence levels of engagement with and time spent in nature. Beyond availability and attractiveness, cultivating a sense of belonging seems to play a role in mitigating this unequal access. But what does it mean to belong in an urban forest? Who belongs in these more-than-human places?
This PhD research by creative practice explores how senses of belonging relate to equitable access to urban forest places across more-than-human communities. The intersectional environmental approach recognises that we are more than our age, ethnicity, health, or social background, and that we are part of nature. Collaborative place-based storytelling sessions help recover the interconnections between more-than-human beings, giving voice to historically marginalised perspectives, and exploring intersecting identities in and of the place itself.
The sessions are organised in Gateshead Riverside Park in the North East of England. Through multi-sensory explorations, more-than-human beings and human inhabitants of the region are invited to explore their sense of belonging in this particular urban forest place. Individual and collaborative storytelling prompts result in creative recordings of co-created stories. These results are connected to theory to interpret the findings, using writing as a tool for critical thinking and culminating in an anthology of co-produced urban forest stories. The resulting insights and methodology aim to contribute to the intersection of urban forestry, socio-environmental justice and multispecies community engagement and to support fair, healthy and resilient urban forest planning, design and management.
keywords
inclusive urban forests
intersectional environmentalism
sense of belonging
experts from lived experience
more-than-human community engagement
Supervisors
Funding and support
This PhD research on intersectional belonging and the resulting Urban Forest Stories are supported by partial funding of:
Newcastle University | School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape: Forshaw Award in Architecture 2022-2024
Newcastle University | Institute of Social Science: HaSS Pioneer Award 2023
Newcastle University | Jobs on Campus: Research Assistancy Grant 2023
The storytelling sessions in Newcastle upon Tyne and Gateshead, England, are organised in collaboration with:
Kazusa Hayashi, MLA
Copyright
The research project is not-for-profit, with the results shared on an open-access basis. All are welcome to use the materials and amend prompts to their needs, as long as the source material is appropriately referenced.
Expected submission
March 2025