Towards a Geography of Well-being : Researching the systems of leisure places

Inside the topic "well-being in motion", we consider the relationships between the representations and uses of different leisure places, potential and/or effective. From a set of 65 interviews in four places in France (rural, urban, "périurbain" and mountain environments), it looks for reveal the levels and terms of well-being from each individual. The results deals with souvenirs of leisure performances, in tourist or non-tourist setting, and with imaginations of places. First, well-being is related to places in terms of "spatialisation". The individuals establish different relationships to the expanse, in their practices : selection, wandering, shunning,... ; and in their representations of places : comparison, opposition, globalisation,..., to assess the space of a place and to compare different places. The relationships to "nature" and to environmental problems underline the comprehension of these "spatialisations". Individuals imagine -or not- nature, they identify -or notenvironmental problems in each kind of place. Most generally, they traduce a position of exteriority, or express a personal inclusion with nature. A geography of well-being is exposed, from several systems of places relied in imaginary networks and concretised in practiced places, according to the levels (weak, moderate, strong) of individual mobility controls.

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Additional Info

Field Value
Source International conference on Well-being and places
Author Michel, Xavier
Maintainer CCSD
Last Updated May 10, 2026, 12:09 (UTC)
Created May 10, 2026, 12:09 (UTC)
Identifier halshs-00840487
Language en
contributor Espaces et Sociétés (ESO) ; Université de Caen Normandie (UNICAEN) ; Normandie Université (NU)-Normandie Université (NU)-Le Mans Université (UM)-Université d'Angers (UA)-AGROCAMPUS OUEST-Université de Rennes 2 (UR2)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Géographie et d'Aménagement Régional de l'Université de Nantes (IGARUN) ; Université de Nantes (UN)-Université de Nantes (UN)
coverage Durham, United Kingdom
creator Michel, Xavier
date 2009-04-07T00:00:00
harvest_object_id 0e53a493-6c25-4ab1-9610-b5ef0e41e8ac
harvest_source_id 3374d638-d20b-4672-ba96-a23232d55657
harvest_source_title test moissonnage SELUNE
metadata_modified 2025-07-25T00:00:00
set_spec type:COMM