Academics, health practitioners, and the general population increasingly recognize the importance of place as an essential element in the development of identity, health, and overall well-being. Although therapeutic landscapes have been traditionally associated with special places such as hot springs, this book expands the concept by exploring the healing applications of space from social, anthropological, and health care delivery perspectives. The essays in this collection examine a number of related topics including the health-promoting qualities of specific physical environments, the significance of place for the de-institutionalized and homeless, and the role of therapeutic landscapes in health care facilities. Drawing on their experiences in Britain, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States, the contributors offer diverse perspectives and new insights on the relationship between place and wellness. Public health practitioners, medical and health professionals, urban planners, and policy makers as well as academics studying the health and social sciences will find this book of great interest.

Contributions by: Morag Bell, Eugene Palka, Christopher Thurber, Jon Malinowski, Martha Geores, Wilbert Gesler, Hester Parr, Rae Bridgman, Robin A. Kearns, J Ross Barnett, Joseph L. Scarpaci, John Mohan