Fife, H., 2004, Feeling safe and being free, in: OPENspace, ‘Open space, people space’, OPENspace, Edinburgh
- Author : Fife, H.
- Year : 2004
- Published in Book : Open space, people space
- Abstract in English : Woodlands are places of sanctuary, peace and beauty, but they are also places of shadows, strange sounds and silences. Menace lurks in the shadows, in the bushes, behind the trees – imagined monsters, sprites and spirits, and real dangers, like bad people looking for innocent victims. In the dark woods there are hidden pits and hollows, chasms, roots and rocks to trip on and get hurt. You may enter a wood for peace and privacy, for adventure and inspiration, but you may come out injured and scared – worse still, you may become lost along paths that twist and turn, your shouts – if you dare shout – muffled by the denseness of trees. People want access. People want safe access. This paper asks: can the wood be tamed to make access safe and easy for all? Can the dangers of the wood – real or imagined – be removed or smoothed over without lessening the recreational and therapeutic solitude the visitor desires?
- Comments/Notes : KEYWORDS: sanctuary, danger, access, fulfillment, safety, disabled people. [paper 5 p.]