Environmental awareness, the Transition Movement, and place: Den Selvforsynende Landsby, a Danish Transition initiative

• Published in: Geoforum 2014-11, Vol.57, p.40-47
• Main Authors: Mälgand, Miina, Bay-Mortensen, Nikolai, Bedkowska, Beata, Hansen, Frederik N., Schow, Marco, Thomsen, Amalie A., Hunka, Agnieszka D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Climate change; Community; Constructed landscape; Denmark; Environmental awareness; Inhabitants; Ireland; Landscape; Peak oil; Place attachment; Transition Network; United Kingdom; Villages
• ISSN: 0016-7185; 1872-9398; 1872-9398
• DOI: 10.1016/j.geoforum.2014.08.009

•We studied the relation between the Transition Movement ideas and the constructed landscape of a Danish Transition village.•Three themes were uncovered: Community, Ideology, and Individual impact.•Community and social ties turned out to be most important for attachment.•The Transition ideology provides a common goal, but can also contribute to community disintegration. The Transition Movement, originating in Ireland and the United Kingdom, gathers and supports community-led actions to meet the global challenges of climate change, peak oil and energy descent. In our study we analysed a Transition Network project, a Danish village built from scratch by its inhabitants and named the Self Sufficient Village (SSV). Employing the theories of constructed landscapes and place attachment, we studied how the Transition Movement ideology shaped the constructed landscape of the village and influenced the inhabitants’ attachment. The research team, following the grounded theory approach, conducted a field study staying in SSV. We collected data with focus groups, individual interviews and participatory observations, taking part in daily life of the community. The analysis revealed three, intertwined themes which altogether create the constructed landscape of SSV. They were named Community, Ideology, and Individual impact, respectively. Our findings showed that the community and strong social ties were predominant factors in shaping place attachment. Transition ideology and environmental awareness, although less pronounced, still turned out to be vital for the feelings of belongingness and empowerment, resulting in a positive impact of the village on the local scale. Using our case study as an example we discuss the importance of environmental concern and place attachment for similar grass-root initiatives.