ABSTRACT
Early social ecologists viewed the natural environment as a featureless surface on which social patterns and relationships were distributed. Today, the social importance of diverse urban landscapes and parks, ranging from urban wilderness preserves to trees and plants found in community gardens and streetscapes, is advocated. A growing body of literature revolves around the beneficial and connected relationships between nature and social settings and processes such as interaction. This literature argues that nature is a critical component of personal and community well-being and a stimulus for local activism and democracy. Furthermore, it agrees that empowering people to become involved in the process of landscape and park creation builds community capacity and supports community development.
