The Finding

Abstract

As landscape architects and designers, our work often deals with the restoration of disturbed or contaminated sites. However, our scope of work is usually concerned with the ecological dimensions of restoration and does not address the psychosocial trauma that many communities have experienced due to the contamination of their homes. Many restoration projects are tied to a story of environmental injustice and a legacy of harm that may precede the polluting event, so effective restoration should also address these root causes of harm. Here, participatory restoration is positioned as a response to instability caused by environmental destruction. Participating in restoration is a therapeutic exercise in both reclaiming agency over a period of instability while also relinquishing control to nature’s processes of healing. This paper will present a framework for seeing the multidimensionality of restoration and propose a participatory process that designers can facilitate to aid psychosocial healing alongside ecological restoration.