41 research outputs found
Connectedness to Nature in the City: A sociological study of connectedness to nature in urban farming
No full textThis master thesis examines how urban farming might contribute tohuman-nature connectedness (naturforbindelse) in the city throughan ethnographic casestudy of Impact Farm, a small Urban Farm withhydroponic vertical growing systems, connected to theBachelorstudies of Nutrition and Health (Ernæring og Sundhed) atUniversity College Copenhagen (København Professionshøjskole).Seven in-depth interviews are conducted with students, volunteersand employees surrounding Impact Farm, exploring their views onnature and the farming practices they engage in.An emphasis is put on the importance of materials and non-humans asactors and co-creators of nature views and practices in Impact Farm.In order to reflect these aspects the thesis draws upon the theories ofElisabeth Shove, Bruno Latour, and Tim Ingold, yet the empirical datastays primary to the theories in this inductive study. The collection ofempirical data is inspired by Sarah Pinks sensory ethnography, seeingthe interviewpersons as situated, the interviews are supplemented byobservation, walk-and-talk and participation that includes thesurroundings and the senses. The coding process is inspired by KathyCharmaz constructivist redeveloped Grounded Theory resulting inworking very close to the empirical data with ‘line by line coding’,while also understanding the data as a constructed by both researcherand interviewpersons.Five interviews with experts in Urban Farming, Forest Gardening(skovhaver) and School Gardening (skolehaver), are included todiscuss the findings of the thesis. The study finds that the materials ofImpact Farm are conducive to reductionist views of nature andscientific experiments, whereas holistic views of nature are notsupported. While the interview persons get close relations to a smallselection of plants and insects, the relations a highly anthropocentricand a more biocentric human-nature connectedness would rely on agrowing system that is open to a higher degree of biodiversity, and tothe will and ‘voices’ of other beings, wildness, and cycles of naturesuch as seasons.However, Impact Farm does hold potential for the development ofbasic plant knowledge independent of season, and curiosity towardsother species. Moreover, views on nature are shown to bemultifaceted and dynamic in each individual, with no single view beingscientifically supported, so for urban gardening to contribute tohuman-nature connectedness in the city it is important include avariation of growing-systems appealing to and supportive of variousviews of nature.This master thesis examines how urban farming might contribute tohuman-nature connectedness (naturforbindelse) in the city throughan ethnographic casestudy of Impact Farm, a small Urban Farm withhydroponic vertical growing systems, connected to theBachelorstudies of Nutrition and Health (Ernæring og Sundhed) atUniversity College Copenhagen (København Professionshøjskole).Seven in-depth interviews are conducted with students, volunteersand employees surrounding Impact Farm, exploring their views onnature and the farming practices they engage in.An emphasis is put on the importance of materials and non-humans asactors and co-creators of nature views and practices in Impact Farm.In order to reflect these aspects the thesis draws upon the theories ofElisabeth Shove, Bruno Latour, and Tim Ingold, yet the empirical datastays primary to the theories in this inductive study. The collection ofempirical data is inspired by Sarah Pinks sensory ethnography, seeingthe interviewpersons as situated, the interviews are supplemented byobservation, walk-and-talk and participation that includes thesurroundings and the senses. The coding process is inspired by KathyCharmaz constructivist redeveloped Grounded Theory resulting inworking very close to the empirical data with ‘line by line coding’,while also understanding the data as a constructed by both researcherand interviewpersons.Five interviews with experts in Urban Farming, Forest Gardening(skovhaver) and School Gardening (skolehaver), are included todiscuss the findings of the thesis. The study finds that the materials ofImpact Farm are conducive to reductionist views of nature andscientific experiments, whereas holistic views of nature are notsupported. While the interview persons get close relations to a smallselection of plants and insects, the relations a highly anthropocentricand a more biocentric human-nature connectedness would rely on agrowing system that is open to a higher degree of biodiversity, and tothe will and ‘voices’ of other beings, wildness, and cycles of naturesuch as seasons.However, Impact Farm does hold potential for the development ofbasic plant knowledge independent of season, and curiosity towardsother species. Moreover, views on nature are shown to bemultifaceted and dynamic in each individual, with no single view beingscientifically supported, so for urban gardening to contribute tohuman-nature connectedness in the city it is important include avariation of growing-systems appealing to and supportive of variousviews of nature
The Comfortable Home and Energy Consumption
Get PDFThis paper investigates relations between notions of comfort and notions of home, aiming at a better understanding of residential comfort and the related energy consumption. Residential comfort is examined through a practice-theoretical lens and as something that appears in between the social and material structures of a home. The approach considers different elements of comfort in homemaking practices, such as the body, materials and social meanings. The paper examines how conceptions of comfort and homeliness interrelate through homemaking practices and thereby redefine comfort within a framework of the home and social practices. This implies focus on “the comfortable home” as made up of homemaking practices that include knowhow, sensations and social norms. The empirical basis comprises interviews and visual data from a field study on detached housing on the outskirts of a Danish city. The paper concludes that the notion of home is central in understanding comfort and energy consumption in dwellings, as conceptions of comfort and home are intertwined but also carry different meanings. The different rooms of a house relate differently to the notions of home and comfort, which has implications for how energy is consumed within the home.This paper investigates relations between notions of comfort and notions of home, aiming at a better understanding of residential comfort and the related energy consumption. Residential comfort is examined through a practice-theoretical lens and as something that appears in between the social and material structures of a home. The approach considers different elements of comfort in homemaking practices, such as the body, materials and social meanings. The paper examines how conceptions of comfort and homeliness interrelate through homemaking practices and thereby redefine comfort within a framework of the home and social practices. This implies focus on ‘the comfortable home’ as made up of homemaking practices that include knowhow, sensations and social norms. The empirical basis comprises interviews and visual data from a field study on detached housing on the outskirts of a Danish city. The paper concludes that the notion of home is central in understanding comfort and energy consumption in dwellings, as conceptions of comfort and home are intertwined but also carry different meanings. The different rooms of a house relate differently to the notions of home and comfort, which has implications for how energy is consumed within the home
Materialities shape practices and notions of comfort in everyday life
Get PDFThe development of residential energy technologies aims to ensure thermal comfort in an increasingly energy-efficient manner. This development influences everyday practices related to comfort in everyday life in dwellings. Therefore, an empirical analysis of interviews with residents in three types of Danish detached houses, related to the building age, is used to understand how changes in technologies influence residents’ practices and notions of comfort. Detached houses are the most widespread type of housing in Denmark, constituting 44% of the housing stock. The analysis focuses on differences in heating systems between the housing types and shows how changes in technologies and material structures shape the practices of heating and airing. A shift in technology from radiators to underfloor heating was found to make a clear difference in both how houses are heated and thermal comfort is perceived. It is found that changes in material structures of houses consequently change residents’ perceptions of comfort and the related everyday practices. A more nuanced set of notions of comfort is developed in relation to different practices, and specifically the relation between airing and heating practices, as well as the context of seasons and the outdoors.Development of residential energy technologies aims at ensuring thermal comfort in an increasingly energy efficient manner. This development influences everyday practices related to comfort in everyday life in dwellings. Therefore this paper analyses empirical examples from interviews with residents in three types of Danish detached houses, related to the building age, to zoom in on how changes in technologies influence residents’ practices and notions of comfort. Detached houses are the most widespread type of housing in Denmark, constituting 44 per cent of the housing stock. The analysis focuses on differences in heating systems between the housing types and shows how changes in technologies and material structures shape practices of heating and airing. In terms of heating practices and the meanings of comfort, a shift in technology from radiators to underfloor heating was found to make a clear difference in how houses are heated and thermal comfort perceived. The paper concludes that changes in material structures of houses consequently change residents’ perceptions of comfort and the related everyday practices. The paper furthermore contributes by nuancing notions of comfort in relation to different practices, and specifically the relation between airing and heating practices, as well as the context of seasons and the outdoors
eCAPE energy crisis interviews
No full textThis dataset contains transcripts from 30 semi-structured qualitative interviews, conducted as part of a sub-project to the research project eCAPE (New Energy Consumer Roles and Technologies – Actors, Practices and Equality), running from 2018-2024. eCAPE is financed by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union´s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement number 786643). The project is led by Professor Kirsten Gram-Hanssen from Department of the Built Environment, Aalborg University. This sub-project examined how Danish households handled the energy crisis and what changes in their heating and other energy practices the crisis led to. The interviews were conducted in 2022-23 and different types of households were interviewed about their everyday life during the crisis. The interviews were conducted by Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Line Valdorff Madsen and Line Kryger Aagaard from Department of the Built Environment, Aalborg University. Interviews were transcribed by student assistants. The interviews were coded and analysed in Nvivo by Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Line Valdorff Madsen and Rikke Skovgaard Nielsen. The recruitment process and interview method are further described in the related peer-reviewed publications. All names are removed in transcripts and participants’ age, occupation and other personal data have in some cases been altered and in some cases paragraphs have been removed, all to ensure anonymity. Alterations are marked with brackets, where anoymised words or sections are indicated with [anonymised]. Participants received written and oral information on the research purpose and handling of their personal data and gave their written or oral consent to participate. The interviews were conducted in the participants’ homes, except for two telephone interviews and one interview conducted in a language school which the participant attended. Photos were taken during the interviews with participants’ consent, but these photos are not published in the dataset due to the protection of the anonymity of participants. Apart from the interview transcripts this dataset contains the interview guide (Danish and English version)
eCAPE energy crisis interviews
No full textThis dataset contains transcripts from 30 semi-structured qualitative interviews, conducted as part of a sub-project to the research project eCAPE (New Energy Consumer Roles and Technologies – Actors, Practices and Equality), running from 2018-2024. eCAPE is financed by the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union´s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement number 786643). The project is led by Professor Kirsten Gram-Hanssen from Department of the Built Environment, Aalborg University. This sub-project examined how Danish households handled the energy crisis and what changes in their heating and other energy practices the crisis led to. The interviews were conducted in 2022-23 and different types of households were interviewed about their everyday life during the crisis. The interviews were conducted by Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Line Valdorff Madsen and Line Kryger Aagaard from Department of the Built Environment, Aalborg University. Interviews were transcribed by student assistants. The interviews were coded and analysed in Nvivo by Kirsten Gram-Hanssen, Line Valdorff Madsen and Rikke Skovgaard Nielsen. The recruitment process and interview method are further described in the related peer-reviewed publications. All names are removed in transcripts and participants’ age, occupation and other personal data have in some cases been altered and in some cases paragraphs have been removed, all to ensure anonymity. Alterations are marked with brackets, where anoymised words or sections are indicated with [anonymised]. Participants received written and oral information on the research purpose and handling of their personal data and gave their written or oral consent to participate. The interviews were conducted in the participants’ homes, except for two telephone interviews and one interview conducted in a language school which the participant attended. Photos were taken during the interviews with participants’ consent, but these photos are not published in the dataset due to the protection of the anonymity of participants. Apart from the interview transcripts this dataset contains the interview guide (Danish and English version)
Sociale og praktiske fællesskaber - et blik på bofællesskaber og boligplanlægning i dag
No full textThis master’s thesis studies experiences with co-housing in relation to the Danish social housing sector and planning in general. The focal point of the examination is the lived experiences of co-housing residents. I have collected these experiences through qualitative interviews, inspired by phenomenological theory, with the aim of extracting meaning from subjective life-world narratives. Furthermore a point of departure of the thesis has been a critical view, with roots in critical geography, on ideals of housing, family life and the discourses of planning in relation to this. Overall the interviewed residents express positive experiences with living in co-housing. One central conclusion is that co-housing offers, for the interviewees, an alternative way of practising their everyday life, as the everyday life in the examined co-housing is structured around practising everyday routines jointly. The most central one of these joint everyday routines is the common meal, which can be said to form a meeting point in the everyday life. The social life of the communities is said to be the most important thing and the main reason for living in co-housing. Another central conclusion is that co-housing constitutes a practical as well as social community and that the practical everyday routines and social life in the communities are very much related and as such produced in a dialectical way. A central perspective on the co-housing communities is that they balance on a fine line between privacy and community in the spatiality of the everyday. Co-housing offers, for the residents, a duality in everyday life, which contains privacy as well as community. This understanding of co-housing as ‘produced communities’ is related to Lefebvres spatial concept of the ‘production of space’ and Doreen Masseys notion of ‘sense of place’. Theoretical perspectives on community, home and place are furthermore used to grasp a deeper understanding of the empirical narratives. The narratives on everyday life in co-housing are argued to be of relevance for planning of housing within the Danish social housing sector. With Leonie Sandercock’s perspective on planning it is argued that individual narratives contain a meaning and value that can qualify planning practice. The social housing sector has an aim of providing housing to a broad spectre of residents. The co-housing experiences of the interviewees are positive, and alternative, everyday experiences that can inspire planning of housing to be more diverse – in the light of a dominating ideal of housing being single-family housing – and as such it is argued that these kind of experiences can qualify a planning for difference.This master’s thesis studies experiences with co-housing in relation to the Danish social housing sector and planning in general. The focal point of the examination is the lived experiences of co-housing residents. I have collected these experiences through qualitative interviews, inspired by phenomenological theory, with the aim of extracting meaning from subjective life-world narratives. Furthermore a point of departure of the thesis has been a critical view, with roots in critical geography, on ideals of housing, family life and the discourses of planning in relation to this. Overall the interviewed residents express positive experiences with living in co-housing. One central conclusion is that co-housing offers, for the interviewees, an alternative way of practising their everyday life, as the everyday life in the examined co-housing is structured around practising everyday routines jointly. The most central one of these joint everyday routines is the common meal, which can be said to form a meeting point in the everyday life. The social life of the communities is said to be the most important thing and the main reason for living in co-housing. Another central conclusion is that co-housing constitutes a practical as well as social community and that the practical everyday routines and social life in the communities are very much related and as such produced in a dialectical way. A central perspective on the co-housing communities is that they balance on a fine line between privacy and community in the spatiality of the everyday. Co-housing offers, for the residents, a duality in everyday life, which contains privacy as well as community. This understanding of co-housing as ‘produced communities’ is related to Lefebvres spatial concept of the ‘production of space’ and Doreen Masseys notion of ‘sense of place’. Theoretical perspectives on community, home and place are furthermore used to grasp a deeper understanding of the empirical narratives. The narratives on everyday life in co-housing are argued to be of relevance for planning of housing within the Danish social housing sector. With Leonie Sandercock’s perspective on planning it is argued that individual narratives contain a meaning and value that can qualify planning practice. The social housing sector has an aim of providing housing to a broad spectre of residents. The co-housing experiences of the interviewees are positive, and alternative, everyday experiences that can inspire planning of housing to be more diverse – in the light of a dominating ideal of housing being single-family housing – and as such it is argued that these kind of experiences can qualify a planning for difference
Caring for comfort? How social relations shape household practices of home comfort as care
Get PDFSocial relations between people are fundamental to how energy is used in household practices related to home comfort, or caring practices. The interplay between social dynamics and home comfort in caring practices is essential to understand energy usage within households as a social phenomenon. A transition to sustainable resource use is imperative and entails reducing as well as shifting the consumption of energy in household practices, which implies more knowledge on the connection between home comfort and care in the everyday life of households. The paper explores this connection through home comfort as caring practices based on qualitative interviews from two different datasets, including households with different types of heating technologies. The data points to care as encompassing how household members perform practices related to home comfort and energy use across the different household technologies. Thus, care extends comfort beyond individual well-being to encompass the nurturing of family members, household materials, and technologies
Practicing everyday life in the smart grid:gender, technologies and home comfort
No full textThe transition to low carbon societies necessitates a transition towards widespread use of renewable energies. The vision of a smart grid to foster the transition and a future exchange of energy between households as consumers (and prosumers) and energy providers is a cornerstone in this transition. On this background a range of smart technologies related to energy is entering the everyday life of households with the implicit purpose to change energy consumption and the related practices in the home. It is therefore vital to investigate how such technologies enter the homes of consumers and in what ways these technologies might change everyday practices that consume energy. In this vein, it is essential to understand the differences in how daily practices are carried out and how technologies take part in energy-consuming practices. Daily practices in households are inherently gendered and are also materially and socio-economically dependent. Thus, the introduction of new technologies in the home also have the potential of creating new ways of performing gendered everyday practices, including new forms of (un)equity among energy consumers. Therefore, this paper analyses data from qualitative interviews and home tours in different types of households, in two differing localities of Denmark, to investigate how smart heating technologies take part in forming energy-consuming practices related to home comfort. And furthermore, how these technologies and practices related to energy and comfort are performed between gender structures and daily life in the smart grid.The transition to low carbon societies necessitates a transition towards widespread use of renewable energies. The vision of a smart grid to foster the transition and a future exchange of energy between households as consumers (and prosumers) and energy providers is a cornerstone in this transition. On this background a range of smart technologies related to energy is entering the everyday life of households with the implicit purpose to change energy consumption and the related practices in the home. It is therefore vital to investigate how such technologies enter the homes of consumers and in what ways these technologies might change everyday practices that consume energy. In this vein, it is essential to understand the differences in how daily practices are carried out and how technologies take part in energy-consuming practices. Daily practices in households are inherently gendered and are also materially and socio-economically dependent. Thus, the introduction of new technologies in the home also have the potential of creating new ways of performing gendered everyday practices, including new forms of (un)equity among energy consumers. Therefore, this paper analyses data from qualitative interviews and home tours in different types of households, in two differing localities of Denmark, to investigate how smart heating technologies take part in forming energy-consuming practices related to home comfort. And furthermore, how these technologies and practices related to energy and comfort are performed between gender structures and daily life in the smart grid
Comfort, care and compromises: how social relations and technology shape energy-consuming household practices
No full textSocial relations between people, for example in households are fundamental to how and when energy is used. At the heart of such social relations are concepts such as care and home comfort. Care in households, can be understood as caring for oneself or others, animals or the materials and technologies of the home itself as well as the immediate surroundings such as gardens, balconies or communal outdoor areas. Home comfort plays a central role in how households consume energy, as this consumption is tied to everyday routines, the materialities of the home and its appliances, as well as the meanings of comfort and care for those included in the household. Household energy consumption holds around one third of overall energy consumption in Denmark and a large part of this is related to activities of housework and home comfort. To comply with more sustainable resource use it is imperative that household energy consumption is reduced and adapted to the availability of renewable energy resources. To succeed with this transition, that is reducing as well as shifting the consumption of energy, it is necessary to understand household practices as connected to housework, comfort and care including the gendering of these aspects. Thus, this paper explores the relation between home comfort and care in household practices on the basis of qualitative interviews from two different datasets, including households with different types of heating technologies. The data points to care as central to how household members sharing a home perform practices related to home comfort and energy use across the different technologies. It also shows how heating and smart technologies become mediators of care in creating daily home comfort and discusses how smart heating technologies can affect practices related to home comfort and care. Social relations between people, for example in households are fundamental to how and when energy is used. At the heart of such social relations are concepts such as care and home comfort. Care in households, can be understood as caring for oneself or others, animals or the materials and technologies of the home itself as well as the immediate surroundings such as gardens, balconies or communal outdoor areas. Home comfort plays a central role in how households consume energy, as this consumption is tied to everyday routines, the materialities of the home and its appliances, as well as the meanings of comfort and care for those included in the household. Household energy consumption holds around one third of overall energy consumption in Denmark and a large part of this is related to activities of housework and home comfort. To comply with more sustainable resource use it is imperative that household energy consumption is reduced and adapted to the availability of renewable energy resources. To succeed with this transition, that is reducing as well as shifting the consumption of energy, it is necessary to understand household practices as connected to housework, comfort and care including the gendering of these aspects. Thus, this paper explores the relation between home comfort and care in household practices on the basis of qualitative interviews from two different datasets, including households with different types of heating technologies. The data points to care as central to how household members sharing a home perform practices related to home comfort and energy use across the different technologies. It also shows how heating and smart technologies become mediators of care in creating daily home comfort and discusses how smart heating technologies can affect practices related to home comfort and care. <br/
