Aesthetics, climate displacement, and mental health

What is aesthetics, beauty, the built environment, and community resilience?

Beauty and aesthetics in the built environment can help make spaces feel like home, boosting individual and community wellbeing and resilience, especially in the face of climate-related displacement. Just as many of us have sought to make homes comforting and safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, aesthetics – how a place looks and feels – play a crucial role in this process.

Aesthetics: Refers to how people perceive and interact with their surroundings, whether that is positively or negatively. This includes considerations like functionality, form, and the emotional responses evoked by one’s surroundings. Aesthetics and one’s sense of beauty are deeply rooted in cultural contexts, meaning that elements like form, style, and color can vary significantly across different communities.
Beauty and Beautification: Refers to any intentional effort to make elements of the built environment more aesthetically pleasing. This could entail seemingly simple actions in individuals’ everyday lives, such as tidying a home, sweeping a floor, or placing an object, or a community collectively tending to public spaces. This comes from the concept of ‘third realm beauty’—a term coined by art philosopher Arthur Danto.
Built environment: Refers to the human-made surroundings, including homes, buildings, infrastructure, streets, and landscapes, that shape the spaces where we live, work, and interact.
Community resilience: A dynamic concept reflecting a community’s ability to adapt and flourish amid adversity. It includes social capital, family dynamics, governance, physical environment, economic recovery, and psychosocial wellbeing. After forced displacement from climate events or forced or deliberate immobility, it reflects collective capacity to endure, adapt, transform, recover, and thrive amidst various shocks.

The built environment has shaped human identity and community wellbeing. Research linking the built environment to mental health and brain processes highlights how deeply aesthetics influence emotional and psychological states. While various types of community-based initiatives have attempted to address climate change impacts, the role of aesthetics in creating a sense of home and the role of beauty in post-disaster recovery has often been overlooked and underexplored. As climate change increasingly disrupts communities, restoring the aesthetics is a crucial, but often overlooked tool, for rebuilding a sense of place.

How do the aesthetics of homemaking impact mental health & wellbeing?

Mental health can be profoundly and negatively impacted by climate displacement and immobility. Research shows that individuals who have experienced forced displacement often exhibit higher levels of post-traumatic stress disorder. Additionally, the grief associated with losing one’s home and community due to wildfires, hurricanes, or other climate-related disasters often leads to what is called solastalgia—a deep emotional or existential distress caused by environmental change, amplifying the sense of loss and displacement. This grief mirrors mourning, as people grapple not only with the loss of their physical surroundings, but also with the destruction of their memories and connection to place.

In response to this trauma, stress, and grief, aesthetics can play a deeply therapeutic role, especially for people who have been displaced. As one participant in Neumark’s 2013 participatory study named Alexis shared: “As refugees we lose our sense of beauty and when that happens, we lose our sense of everything, of life itself”. Through efforts to make things beautiful, the pain of losing a home can be deeply felt and experienced. If Alexis’ perception is true, that a recovery of a sense of beauty helps to reconnect with life, then the aesthetics of homemaking cannot be dismissed as “merely” decorative or superficial.

The intentional acts of beautification provide a tangible way for individuals who have been displaced to express complex emotions, cope with uncertainty, and grieve the loss of past home, while actively making home once again. They also help build a community’s resilience to respond and adapt to climate change.

Case studies from climate-impacted communities

New Orleans Louisiana, Post Hurricane Katrina

Hurricane Katrina’s late August 2005 strike on the Gulf Coast triggered one of the largest, most abrupt relocations in US history, displacing about 1.2 million Louisianans, many of whom never returned.

New Orleans, 2010. Photos: Denise Thornton, Beacon of Hope

Denise Thornton, a New Orleans resident, founded Beacon of Hope in early 2006 to redevelop her Lakeview community by empowering leaders to combat blight and collaborate with government agencies. Neighborhood leaders assessed parcels, established resource centers to aid rebuilding, coordinate volunteers, and advocate to city leaders. By late 2006, eight centers were operational; four more by 2008; and 25 citywide by 2011. Affiliate centers later appeared in other regions following disasters like Hurricane Ike, Isaac, and Superstorm Sandy.

Despite extensive coverage of Beacon of Hope, the role of aesthetics in their strategy is often overlooked. Through interviews—one conducted by Devora Neumark in New Orleans in 2014 and another with both authors in July 2023—Denise discussed how beauty influenced recovery efforts.

New Orleans, 2010. Photo: Denise Thornton, Beacon of Hope

Amidst near-total destruction, Beacon of Hope emphasized “simple acts” of beauty. Landscaping, restoring shutters, and repainting homes were among the first efforts. Thornton noted that “immediate attention to home beautification […] was key to everything”, signaling hope and attracting residents back. As people returned, Denise’s home and the Beacon of Hope centers became hubs of activity and information.

Thornton emphasized that focusing on aesthetics, even in the early recovery stages, made people feel good, helped recapture a semblance of what was lost, and was the catalyst for drawing the neighborhood together. This focus inspired collective rebuilding efforts and halting government plans to demolish the neighborhood. Aesthetics played a pivotal role in drawing people back and empowering them to “reclaim their lives” after the flood.

Refugee Camps in Occupied West Bank

In the Occupied West Bank, over 871,000 registered Palestinian refugees, mostly in 19 camps, face severe challenges from poor living conditions, limited resources, and prolonged displacement since 1948. Intended as temporary shelters after the Nakba (catastrophe), these camps have become long-term settlements, exacerbated by political instability and climate change. Palestinian storyteller Nizar ALayasa highlighted the water scarcity in his camp, where residents can only fill water tanks twice every 15 days. In 2023 and 2024, he explored gardens as a climate change response, engaging 30 community conversations in two camps.

Dheisheh Refugee Camp, West Bank, 2023. Photos: Nizar ALayasa

Residents showcased how they transformed small outdoor spaces into gardens, expressing a deep connection between gardening and the memory of their pre-displacement homes. Gardens served as gathering spots for family and friends, offering respite in areas with few communal spaces. In 2023, Nizar noted that while gardens offer relief from rising temperatures, they are threatened by water shortages.

When I asked people about the importance of having gardens, they said that the gardens provide a good place to turn to with the climate change in Palestine. The temperatures are rising dramatically these days, and people are not used to such high heat. The gardens provide some relief but with the water shortage, it’s not always easy to keep the plants alive.

Residents found gardening therapeutic, with the beauty they created offering solace and symbolizing hope and resilience. These community-driven aesthetics were key to enduring adversity.

We don’t have a garden for cultivation, but we have this modest space with a grape tree, an olive tree, and a small jasmine plant. This small space means a lot to my family and me, especially in the summer when the grapevine leaves sprout, bringing vibrant life and color that give meaning to life. Although we don’t have much land to cultivate, we cherish these humble trees.

Left: Al Azza Refugee Camp, West Bank, 2024. Right: Dheisheh Refugee Camp, West Bank, 2023. Photos: Nizar ALayasa

Maldives: Designing sustainable housing in response to rising sea-levels

The Maldives Floating City aims to house up to 20,000 people as a sustainable solution to rising sea levels. It features 5,000 low-rise floating homes that adapt to changing sea levels and a smart grid powered solely by renewable energy. With predictions that the Maldives may become uninhabitable by 2100, the government plans to relocate residents to the floating city soon. The designs incorporate vibrant colors and patterns, inspired by local building traditions and Maldivian sea-faring culture.

The Maldives, 2022. Photos: Waterstudio/Dutch Docklands Maldives

Indonesia: Community-designed earthquake and tsunami-resistant homes

In Indonesia, the “Building Homes Collectively for Better Habitat” project involved tsunami survivors in designing and constructing 38 earthquake and tsunami-resistant homes. Completed in December 2020, it supported livelihoods, rebuilt lives, and fostered social cohesion. Women played an active role, challenging local gender norms. The project addressed practical needs and emotional wellbeing while respecting the community’s cultural context.

Indonesia, 2021. Compilation of photos: World Habitat Awards, Arkom

Unequal impacts

Power dynamics and privilege cannot be overlooked in post climate disaster community-driven beautification and resilience initiatives. Social networks, relationships, and governance influence resource distribution, affecting communities’ ability to adapt and recover. Addressing access, representation, and decision-making is crucial for equitable and inclusive resilience-building. Ignoring power imbalances can worsen disparities and undermine the wellbeing of marginalized groups. Overcoming the challenge of limited resources in transforming shelters into spaces that reflect beauty and a sense of home requires creative, community-driven solutions. Utilizing locally available materials, repurposing items, and fostering collaboration with local artisans or NGOs can help mitigate resource constraints. Additionally, incorporating trauma-informed design principles that prioritize simplicity and cultural relevance over costly materials can make the process more accessible while still enhancing the aesthetic and emotional quality of the space.

Research findings

Neuroaesthetics is a field of research that investigates the brain basis of aesthetic experiences. Neuroaesthetic studies show that aesthetics positively affects “learning, social behavior, and emotional wellness”.
Beauty in the built environment has been shown to enhance social interaction, collaboration, capacity development, sense of purpose, and resilience.
Research from environmental psychology highlights how the built environment fosters a “sense of place,” crucial for coherence and security after displacement.
Place Attachment theory suggests that environments contribute to self and stability, making temporary shelters “feel like home”, which is essential for wellbeing.
The approach of human-centered design centres that beauty fosters a sense of elegance, coherence, and harmony, avoiding feelings of disharmony or ugliness.

The role of Aesthetics in six components of community resilience

1. Psychological wellbeing	2. Social capital	3. Family
• Fosters emotional well-being • Aids in trauma recovery • Serves as expressions of agency and creativity	• Lays the foundation for relationship-building • Helps to create a sense of belonging • Fosters cultural continuity	• Provides for bonding and the transmission of skills • Promotes a sense of stability • Supports the healing of intergenerational trauma resulting from displacement and immobility
4. Economic recovery	5. Physical environment	6. Governance and decision-making
• Potential to create local jobs • Stimulates economic activity • Can help to sustain businesses	• Tangibly improves the built environment • Enhances livability • Fosters a sense a pride in the community	• Empowers communities to reclaim control • Counters dominant narratives of helplessness and loss • Supports climate response and active participation

How can we implement beauty in climate-impacted communities?

Enhancing the implementation of beauty in the built environment within climate-impacted contexts requires a paradigm shift in understanding displacement beyond victimhood and suffering and rethinking what is considered an ‘essential’ human need in crisis response. To improve implementation:

Community-based approaches: Design and planning should reflect local priorities and capacities. Engage local leaders and organisations, ensure participatory decision-making, and collaborate with local artists, artisans, and craftspeople to promote cultural authenticity and stimulate local economies.
Advocacy and communication: Highlight the impact of aesthetics in climate responses by sharing research and positive examples. Challenge stereotypes and promote positive narratives about displaced populations to foster empathy.
Funding and planning: Integrate aesthetics into discussions around wellbeing and resilience, set design standards, and prioritize cultural sensitivity and diversity.
Training and capacity-building: Equip professionals with skills to integrate and evaluate aesthetics in shelter planning and community revitalization. Incorporate aesthetics into academic and professional training programs to better address the needs of climate-impacted communities and enhance mental health.

What else might we need to know?

Addressing challenges: Promoting community-driven aesthetics involves both big ideas and everyday challenges.

Mindful resource use: In climate-displaced communities, use local materials and involve the community to overcome resource limitations.
Cultural respect: Adapt plans based on community input to honor culture while maintaining consistency.
Collaboration: Engage the community to foster involvement, ownership, and resilience.
Political tensions: Emphasize long-term benefits of aesthetic enhancements, like better local conditions and self-reliance, despite higher initial costs.

New directions and future research

The role of local craftsmanship in community design and its impact on livelihoods.
Identifying culturally relevant health and wellbeing indicators.
How do cultural backgrounds affect community dynamics and decision-making in climate-impacted areas?
How do human rights, dignity, and cultural expression intersect with aesthetics in revitalized communities after climate-induced displacement?
How can policy makers use this research to develop evidence-based policies and guidelines for promoting mental health resilience in climate-impacted communities?

Author and version info

Published: October 28, 2024
Authors: Devora Neumark, PhD and Stephanie Acker, MPA
Editor: Colleen Rollins, PhD