Valued Environments

Book excerpt: First published in 1982. People care about places. Inhabitants demand more participation in the changes proposed for their local environments, activists urge greater protection of countryside and natural environments, decision-makers feel threatened by the antagonism aroused by their powers and plans. The essays in this book have been drawn together to discover what lies behind these expressions of concern and discontent. Valued environments are places for which people feel commitment and affection, places which support a sense of personal identity and well-being. The authors explore the character and constituents of valued environments asking how our experiences of environments may be enhanced. What is the impact of environmental change? How can the future be accommodated in both rural and urban environments without destroying their essential qualities? The reader will find substantive evidence from case studies of environments valued by inhabitants and outsiders which answer these questions. Examples are taken from wilderness areas, fenland, market towns and large cities, commercial streets and residential neighbourhoods, environments of the past and those imagined in science fiction. The essays are united in their focus on the meaning of places and landscapes. The subtle but highly significant role of valued environments is examined thoroughly in the book. It will be of interest to all who care deeply about their surroundings, reflecting perhaps some of their own experiences as well as conveying information about the environmental experiences of others. Students of geography, environmental planning and conservation should also find the book directly relevant to their interests in man-environment relationships.