ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, November 28, 1996 TAG: 9611290002
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV2 EDITION: HOLIDAY
COLUMN: Hoein' & Growin
SOURCE: DIANE RELF
You really want to plant some flowers and shrubs near your community center to make it more beautiful. How do you get others excited about this?
First, others will catch your enthusiasm over a project if you are really sold on the idea. Second, you may want to pass on information about the benefits of plants to the community to those you wish to involve.
The interaction and collective values of the members of the community give it the uniqueness that defines it as a community. A community may be formed from any grouping of people; thus a neighborhood, a retirement village, a school, an office complex or a housing project can constitute a community. Plants play a role in the development of healthy communities in three ways:
* By providing an appearance that makes people proud to be considered part of the community and by enhancing the economic and social condition of the community;
* By providing opportunities to share values, interests and commitments that open the door to friendly association and lead to further cooperation. This demonstrates the individual's ability to control and be responsible for changes in the community;
* By providing living and working conditions that are physically more comfortable.
The physical condition of an area, be it a neighborhood or an office complex, provides a measure of the self-worth of the area. It defines the value of the individuals within that area and projects that definition to outsiders. Thus, if an area is dilapidated or vandalized, has trash-filled vacant lots, or is sterile steel and concrete, it sends messages that those in charge, be they government, owners or employers, do not value the area and the people there.
It implies that the people have no control over their environment. It tells outsiders that this is not a good place to be.
A study in Atlanta examined the association between the psycho-social health of the community and the landscaping and nearby land use along with the association of socio-cultural environment such as population density and income. The results indicated that the characteristics of physical and socio-cultural environments were about equally important in explaining the variations in the psycho-social health of the community.
Groups, such as the Partners for Livable Places, maintain that plants are the fastest, most cost-effective agents for changing negative perceptions of an area, enhancing the economic and social conditions, and improving the psycho-social health of an area.
LENGTH: Medium: 52 linesby CNB