**2. Method**

To investigate the ideas underlying therapeutic environments, a literature review was undertaken using electronic databases such as Scopus, Google Scholar and ProQuest, as well as landmark book publications. Search terms included therapeutic landscapes, therapeutic environments, healthcare landscapes, and restorative outdoor spaces to identify design criteria. Following the first selection and exclusion of non-relevant materials, twenty-two peer-reviewed publications were evaluated.

The articles were critically assessed by conducting a strengths and weaknesses analysis of each study and considering their relevance in promoting health and well-being. As causal relationships between therapeutic environments and human health are difficult to establish, this critical literature review focussed on studies that dealt with association rather than causation. To better understand the theoretical constructs and obtain an international perspective of approaches to health and well-being, 32 case studies were initially selected during the scoping of the literature to demonstrate a breadth of scales. To get an understanding of how different places with differing social and cultural contexts responded through their therapeutic environments, samples were selected from five different countries, namely Kopupaka Reserve in Aotearoa-New Zealand, Lions Park in Queensland, Australia, Freedom Park in Pretoria, South Africa, Jiyan Healing Garden, in Chamchamal, Iraq, and Jardín Etnobotánico de Oaxaca in Mexico, for closer investigation.

## **3. Kopupaka reserve**

Kopupaka Reserve is a large urban wetland in Auckland, New Zealand. It is unique as it combines an expansive natural environment, which has been identified as having unique healing qualities, with Indigenous Māori cultural values. Māori call themselves the *tāngata whenua* (people of the land), which places importance on the connection between land and sea and respect and preservation of the natural environment and its people [27]. Māori collective cultural orientations brings with them a much more holistic approach to health and well-being, combining sustainable and restorative methods with genealogy (*whakapapa*).

In an effort to enhance the presence, visibility, and participation with design, a set of design principles for the creation of designed environments were developed based on Māori cultural values [28]. The values that underpin these design framework are *rangatiratanga* (chieftainship), *kotahitanga* (unity), *kaitiakitanga* (guardianship), *wairuatanga* (spirituality), *manaakitanga* (hospitality), *whanaungatanga* (relationship, sense of family connection), and *mātauranga* (knowledge and wisdom) [29]. Seven principles can be applied to all aspects of design thinking and require an ongoing engagement with Māori tribes. These principles are: *mana* (status of *iwi*, tribe, and *hapū*, sub-tribe, is recognised and respected), *whakapapa* and *mahi toi* (Māori names are celebrated by the recognition of traditional place names on signage and wayfinding and cultural landmarks are acknowledged), *taiao* and *mauri-tu* (the natural environment is protected, restored and/or enhanced), and *mahi toi* (Māori narratives are captured and expressed creatively and appropriately) [28].

The Auckland City Council commissioned the Kopupaka Reserve as a new public space for the emerging Westgate shopping centre. The Kopupaka Reseve is an ancestral name for the area and relates to the meeting of the Tōtara Creek and Waiteputa Stream. The reserve is of a linear shape that follows the riparian corridor of Tōtara Creek and Waiteputa Stream, which had become extremely degraded from the area's long history of growing market produce and most recently a largescale strawberry farm. Once rich with *māhinga kai* (traditional Māori foods), the waterways had become overloaded with nutrients and infested with weeds. The design restored the native species that once would have grown in the area, including harakeke flax, traditionally used for weaving [28].

Wetland waterways provide an abundance of life with food and purification, contributing to the well-being of the people as Māori maintain that a healthy landscape makes for a healthy individual. Views over the wetlands surrounding the confluence of the two freshwater streams, display the varied birdlife and biologically

#### *Therapeutic Landscapes: A Natural Weaving of Culture, Health and Land DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.99272*

diverse horticulture. Hard landscape forms are inspired by the abundance of *kai* (food) found in wetlands and guide the boardwalk design (**Figure 1**). Open spaces for communal activities are contrasted with private places for emotional retreat (**Figure 2**). The body is engaged through sitting or walking, the senses are engaged through sights, sound and smells. The park is a celebration of the inseparable bond of water and earth. This is deemed vital to sustaining and balancing the natural environment and which is reflected through wairua and which refers to the spiritual plane. Healthy water and rich resources are deeply embedded in Māori cultural and spiritual landscape values as water is sacred.

A distinct and defining feature of the park is a series of interlocked curving timber structures that frame the wetland ponds and a woven together with vegetated paths. The timber frames are a symbolic representation of the *hīnaki waharua* (eel baskets) that were used to collect the *tuna* (eel) that gathered at one of the historical wetlands in the area [28].

What makes Kopupaka Reserve a successful therapeutic landscape its ability to encourage community engagement and establish a strong sense of place and place identity. These themes are threaded throughout most of the literature that has been written on therapeutic landscapes. As research shifted from its focus on the big event or extraordinary healing spaces to the everyday, the method of healing also shifted from an internal singular process to a communal and inclusive process. Urban park and community gardens emerged as having healing qualities and were celebrated for their unique ability to bring communities together and improve overall well-being. The 22-hectare reserve is located within the centre of Westgate, a new town centre that has emerged as a result of urban sprawl. The park connects together the surrounding suburbs and is a central point for many people. While people are not directly forced to engage with each other or participate in rehabilitative activities, the opportunity is given. Signs and cultural motifs placed around the park tell a narrative of the history of the reserve, people feel more attached to the park as they can understand its significance. The diversity of spaces allows locals to find what they need from the park and offers opportunities to improve their personal health and well-being. The park aimed to restore the mauri (lifeforce) of the area, which was mainly achieved through improved storm water management and the revegetation of key areas improving the water quality of the area and

**Figure 2.** *Recreational activities at Kopupapa reserve.*

enhancing habitats and ecological corridors [28]. Kopupaka park demonstrates how urban growth and community engagement can be successfully paired with ecology and engineering [30].
