Wellbeing, Place Connection and Community Cohesion
Projects, evidence and resources about the links between wellbeing and historic places.
Introduction
Trust in neighbourhoods has declined and 69% believe communities are more divided now than 10 years ago.
Social capital, cultural expression, shared values and belonging are known and important connective factors to support healthy communities.
Heritage can support communities strengthen their connection to place and feelings of belonging – enabling people to tell their stories, build trust, and shape their environments.
- Protective factors: Involvement in heritage and planning decisions can build civic agency and pride of place.
- Response to need: Co-produced heritage projects can support polarised communities reconnect through shared values and inclusive narratives.
Projects
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Wellbeing Case Study: Kirkham Heritage Health and Wellbeing Programme
A successful programme of heritage and wellbeing community events at Kirkham, Lancashire.
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Wellbeing Case Study: Sunderland
An evaluation project that aimed to better understand the relationship between people’s wellbeing and the character of their local area.
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Wellbeing Case Study: Geographic Availability of Heritage
A case study investigating how spatial data may help us look at the health impacts of both heritage environments and changes to them.
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Wellbeing Case Studies 'Places of Joy': The Role of Heritage After Lockdown
How heritage appears as a joyful space at a time of national crisis and how it can support resilience in communities.
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Wellbeing Case Study: Heritage and Wellbeing for NHS Staff Project
A project to trial and evaluate the potential benefit of heritage interactions for NHS staff experiencing wellbeing issues.
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Wellbeing Case Study: Delapré Wellbeing- a Place-Based Approach Through Heritage
A programme that utilises a former abbey’s historic rooms and vast parkland to address local health inequalities and foster holistic wellness.
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National Academy of Social Prescribing: Bramley Baths
Addressing health inequality through an historic bathhouse in Leeds
Evidence
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Connecting People and Place: Valuing the Felt Experiences of Historic Places
Historic Places are vital for mental health according to this 2026 report published by Historic England and the University of Glasgow.
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Heritage Capital and Wellbeing: Examining the Relationship Between Heritage Density and Life Satisfaction , Historic England, Research Report 18/2024
The results offer insights for policymakers on the significance of heritage conservation and its potential to improve quality of life, highlighting the intrinsic value of cultural heritage in contributing to societal wellbeing.
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Connecting to Place
This article explores the role of heritage in enabling and strengthening the bonds between people and places.
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Pride in Place
Recent evidence that shows that heritage is an important source of pride for communities by reflecting the unique histories of places.
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Heritage and Social Networks
Heritage plays an important role in building social capital, often called the ‘glue that binds communities together’.
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Physical Health
How historic places encourage healthy lifestyles and the role of the historic environment in contributing to public health.
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Proceedings of the 58th ISOCARP World Planning Congress
Article exploring using the UK heritage and planning legislation to enhance wellbeing ISOCARP (2022) page 1859
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Places of Joy: the Role of Heritage During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Research examining the ways that people are using heritage sites to support their wellbeing during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Gallou, E., Uzzell, D. Sofaer, J. 2020: Perceived Place Qualities, Restorative Effects and Self-reported Wellbeing Benefits of Visits to Heritage Sites: Empirical Evidence from a Visitor Survey in England
Empirical evidence for potential therapeutic benefits of visits to heritage sites.
Resources
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Kirkham Futures Heritage Health and Wellbeing Film
Improving wellbeing in Kirkham: the creative heritage of a northern town.
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Missing Pieces Project Toolkit
How to increase community engagement & wellbeing using The National Heritage List for England.
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Greening The High Street
A national toolkit for creating community growing on historic high streets.
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National Academy for Social Prescribing Webinar: Nature and Heritage Buddying.
This recording from 2024 explores how buddying roles can facilitate people to access to services that improve people’s health and wellbeing. It looks at two examples of buddying, specifically Nature Buddies and Heritage Buddies.
Also of interest
