By Samantha Charlton

During my recent search for housing in Vancouver, I realized that finding a place to live with surrounding green space or a small balcony can be nearly impossible. I feel that this lack of green space symbolizes something very wrong with our urbanized culture—the enormous disconnect between humankind and the plant world. I know that, for myself and other plant lovers, this is a necessary connection.

Humans have a history of linking themselves to plants for food, clothing, textiles, art, and medicine. Today’s urban environments deprive most of us from experiencing this connection. Modern urban living situations often involve both sensory deprivation and information overload, whereas a positive living environment would balance sensory inputs and provide a mix that is both congenial and consistent with people’s culturally conditioned needs. Luckily, gardened or wild natural areas in cities are able to provide the setting for recovery, recuperation, and renewal from the stress and strains of the urban environment.

A literature review prepared for the U.K. MAB Urban Forum identifies four ways in which nature is therapeutic: “Nature restores”, “Nature facilitates competence building”, “Nature carries symbols that affirm the culture or self”, and “Nature offers a pleasing diversion”. To elaborate, I will take examples from my experience facilitating environmental projects in Vancouver with the Environmental Youth Alliance.

The concept “Nature restores” is demonstrated through one of EYA’s primary programs, the Urban Agriculture Internship Program. The eight-month program hires 12 youth between the ages of 16 and 29 who are facing barriers to employment. The participants receive general employment training as well as specific training in an area of interest, ranging from green design to environmental education. Much of the program takes place in community gardens to allow for a hands-on experience. Many of the participants are transient and new to Vancouver and find that the EYA gardens offer them a sense of place, a grounding in the community, and a healing environment. They are also an escape from the urban environment that suffocates us, overloads our sense of hearing, and overwhelms our sense of smell.

The second theme, “Nature facilitates competence building”, refers to people building their self-esteem and skill base by learning to care for and work alongside biological systems. The opportunities for learning in a natural environment are endless for people of any age. In the UAIP, participants learn about the names and uses of plants, pest control interventions, growth strategies, seed collection, and harvest. To the youth that come to our program, these activities build confidence and skills in an ethical career path.

The third theme, “Nature carries symbols that affirm the culture or self”, refers to shapes, relationships, and metaphors that people see in nature which mirror their own human experience. It may be two trees twisting together and reminding them of a love relationship, a spider’s web causing one to think of fine craftsmanship, or a decaying log affirming one’s own eventual decay. People inherently find symbols that appeal to them, and, through photography, writing, and reflection, art creation or meditation, find ways express and affirm themselves in the world.

Lastly, nature offers a simple diversion. In addition to our youth internship program, EYA is continually hosting school groups, day camps, and youth groups in the gardens we steward in order to connect people to nature. Visitors often refer to the gardens as “an oasis”. Spending time in the EYA gardens allows people to leave their urban norm, experience new landscapes, and have their curiosity stimulated in a new way.

This experience has been named horticultural therapy or therapeutic horticulture, and is well documented as such for its positive physical, social, cognitive, and psychological effects. A study of a horticultural therapy program for patients suffering from substance abuse and other traumatic stress at Homewood Health Centre in Guelph, Ontario, found that, “Patients and nursing staff indicated that horticultural therapy provides a calming, safe environment in which to relax and deal with traumatic stress, gain self-esteem and pride.”

A society that is sick can begin to heal through simple contact with plants. By coexisting with the environment rather than acting as rulers, we can experience the restoring, affirming, competence-building diversion of nature.

Vancouver is well known for its long stretches of beach and for places like Stanley Park. However, throughout large tracts of the city, inhabitants have few to no opportunities for engaging with the natural world. We need to continue to develop new natural spaces and enhance their therapeutic elements. As a city, we should demand the creation of such areas.

The city needs to increase the scale and scope of projects like Great Beginnings, a program to enhance the living conditions of residents in the Downtown Eastside. The park board needs to continue and increase its work on collaboratively redesigning parks such as Oppenheimer and China Creek South. Many neighbourhood parks have not been updated since the 1980s, when a soccer field, a kids’ play area, and the odd tennis court were deemed enough to serve residents. Our municipal government, as well as Vancouver Coastal Health, could partner more frequently with organizations like EYA to fund and deliver therapeutic horticulture programs for populations affected by disabilities, mental illness, and substance abuse, or those living in seniors’ homes.

For 20 years, EYA has seen the healing benefits of wild spaces for individuals and communities. Creating these opportunities is a subtle, non-invasive way for us to attend to and give back to nature, allowing nature to also attend to us. To be in tune to the ebb and flow of ecological systems affirms that we as people are continually growing alongside them, enhancing and improving the way we are able manage the ups and downs of daily urban living.

Samantha Charlton is senior coordinator for the Environmental Youth Alliance.