Social capital, health and place : the two sides of the same coin

Research on social capital, health and place has increasingly expanded, however relatively little research has explored how social capital can impact on health both in a positive and negative manner, within a place. There is a general understanding that features of social cohesion, bonding, reciprocity ties, and trust operating with- in a place all help to increase positive health and wellbeing. Yet, very few studies analyse that the theory of social capital in practice has its risks and can be damaging for the health and wellbeing of individuals. This study, through qualitative in-depth interviews, explores how social capital is truly beneficial for the health and well- being of certain social groups, and argues that it may not always be the case that a deprived neighbourhood suffers from low social cohesion. However, this study brings out more to the attention that these same features of social capital can exert negative effects through features of social exclusion, reporting, jealousy and antiso- cial behaviour.peer-reviewe

Blue therapeutic spaces on islands : coastal landscapes and their impact on the health and wellbeing of people in Malta

This paper emphasises that the coastal environment is important for the health and wellbeing of inhabitants living in deprived neighbourhoods in the small island state of Malta. Using qualitative research, it explores how the respondents experience their interaction with the coast and the sea in diverse ways and how this impacts on their health and wellbeing. Making use of qualitative in-depth interviews it analyses the symbolic connections that the respondents have with the sea, the potential that the natural, coastal environment has in enhancing physical activity and mental wellbeing, feelings of embodiment, social interaction and the aspect of temporality. Yet, some nostalgic memories also referred to the aspect of loss and the importance of protection of the natural coastline. This paper acknowledges the deep emotions and strong loving connections that Maltese inhabitants have with the coastal environment and how valuable these spaces are for their health and wellbeing. The fluid, dynamic landforms at sea are greatly important for the health and wellbeing of these individuals and are highly valued therapeutic landscapes within a densely built up environmental island context.peer-reviewe

Places, People and Health: A socio-geographical perspective on wellbeing of mothers and their children in deprived neighbourhoods of Malta

This study explores socio-geographical processes influencing health and wellbeing in deprived Maltese neighbourhoods, contributing new knowledge on how these compare with those reported in research on Anglo-American cultures. This qualitative research obtained data from three deprived neighbourhoods in Malta through in-depth interviews with 31 mothers (of diverse marital status) and their children. Some of these families were followed across a period of time thus obtaining longitudinal data. The research employed a grounded theory approach, and constant comparative approach was used to explore how social processes differed across neighbourhoods. Familial and neighbourhood ties, networks and other aspects of social capital emerge as highly significant, and often beneficial for health and wellbeing. However, divisive processes in these social networks also had negative impacts, less often reported in other research. This thesis emphasises that there is a strong connection between material neighbourhood factors and social relations, as the physical built environment, housing conditions, service provision, welfare benefits, and employment opportunities influence social processes and impact on health and wellbeing in diverse ways. The history of the place, as well as individual life histories, together with a cross-generational and longitudinal approach the significance of the ‘time’ dimension, thus contributing to the complexities of health and wellbeing in neighbourhoods. This study adds to literature on social determinants of health operating in a Maltese, Mediterranean context. It emphasises that there are traditional norms that still determine the health and wellbeing of inhabitants in their neighbourhoods, however, social and economic changes are also transforming these neighbourhoods. It further reveals how individual agency interacts with the social and material environment to affect wellbeing outcomes, albeit within limits on individuals’ power and resources. The findings therefore highlight the importance of a relational approach in order to understand the connection between people, place and health

The therapeutic value of the sea and its impact on health and wellbeing

This review paper synthesises the multiple theories and examines the important relationship that the sea and the coast have on the health and wellbeing of people. Through an analysis of the theories of ‘therapeutic landscapes’ and ‘attention restoration theory’, this study contributes to a better understanding of how much the contact with the sea can enable individuals to enjoy better psychological health from both international and local research. This paper also explores how the coastal environment has the potential to promote health through its connection with nature, through social interaction and through one’s nostalgic memories. Moreover, the coastal environment and the blue spaces are so valuable for people that when such spaces are lost, individuals feel a deep emotional loss. This study suggests the need for greater acknowledgment of people’s appreciation, emotions and shared connections with the sea since it enables them to experience multiple ways of increasing health and wellbeing. Therefore, it is important to recognise the valued therapeutic landscapes that different groups of individuals experience by the sea, and emphasise the need in preserving and protecting these natural spaces due to their universal benefits.peer-reviewe

European narratives on remote working and coworking during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic and the restrictions related to it during the first wave have altered the way people used to operate and work across the world, including that of Malta. This chapter will focus on how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted coworking spaces in Malta and how this may affect the future of coworking spaces within Malta. Malta is located in the centre of the Mediterranean and is a highly densely populated country. The population of Malta is continuously increasing, yet the highest population increase was mainly due to the increase in foreigners living in Malta for employment purposes. As a matter of fact, the population has increased from 9% of the total population in 2014 to 20% in 2022. Indeed, the idea and use of coworking spaces in Malta started around 2014 when Malta increased its incentives concerning the quaternary industry. The number of Maltese employees working remotely or teleworking until the COVID-19 pandemic was 11.7%, below the average of the European Union. Within the Maltese context, the possibility of remote working highly depends on the employer and the type of work. Yet, during the pandemic months of March and April 2020, around a third of the Maltese population was working from home. Presently, there are around 30 official coworking spaces in Malta, most of which are predominantly located in very central areas: Valletta, Sliema, St Julians and Mosta. Informal coworking spaces such as libraries or cafeterias have been long established in Malta. However, such spaces have not been utilized by employees but by self-employed persons and students. Considering the scenario, this chapter aims to explore how the COVID-19 pandemic may be considered a determinant of change, causing a shift in where people choose to operate and work within the Maltese context. During the COVID-19 soft lockdown that took place between the 12th March and early July 2020, Maltese employees in the public and private sectors worked remotely, mostly from home. Therefore, this chapter aims to explore: (i) if coworking spaces may be considered an alternative space of work and; (ii) if coworking spaces can be utilised as places of work during and following the COVID-19 pandemic.peer-reviewe

Lifecourse of place, and intergenerational transmission of health determinants : a long-term view of factors affecting health in two deprived areas in Malta

Using an approach framed by health geography perspectives (including the idea of ‘lifecourse of place’ as a health determinant), this study explores how the wellbeing of residents interviewed in two parts of Malta between 2013‒2015 were found to be influenced by the physical, economic and social aspects of their place of residence, which had been generated over the long-term life-course of the place. Both study areas are relatively deprived, compared with the country of Malta as a whole, for reasons which we show to be partly associated with long term political and economic processes influencing the ‘lifecourse of place’ in these neighbourhoods. However, we also demonstrate how historically determined processes such as development of the built structure of neighbourhoods, political events, development of labour markets and employment practices, together with evolution of cultural norms, social processes and features of social capital have developed in rather different ways in the two study areas. We argue that this helps to explain why the contemporary local conditions that are seen by local residents to be important for their health and wellbeing also differ in some ways between the two places. This study therefore emphasises how and why historic development of conditions in places matter for the contemporary determinants of health and wellbeing.peer-reviewe

“This neighbourhood is killing us!” The impact of neighbourhood conditions on the health and wellbeing of people living in deprived neighbourhoods in Malta

A number of studies emphasise that the place of residence determines the health and wellbeing of its inhabitants. Although it is well known that similar to wealth, health varies across countries, few realise that the health and wellbeing of individuals also vary across local neighbourhoods. This qualitative study explores how the health and wellbeing of families living in deprived neighbourhood conditions in Malta are being affected due to the neighbourhood conditions. Participant parents and children narrate feelings of stigma experienced because of where they live and due to the physical conditions of their neighbourhood environment. Apart from the impact on the inhabitants’ self-esteem, the dilapidated neighbourhood environment reduces the possibility of enjoying social interaction with resourceful persons. This creates feelings of inequality and social exclusion which constrain these inhabitants from involving themselves in educational and cultural activities and thus inhibiting their wellbeing and the future success of their children. Moreover living in deprived neighbourhoods also puts the respondents at risk of ill-health and obesity due to the lack of adequately maintained open spaces for physical activity.peer-reviewe

Exploring effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on new working spaces : worldwide narratives by the academia and media

The formal CSs started establishing themselves in Malta only in recent years. The establishment of such new working spaces might have started in 2014 since foreign workers were attracted to the diversified quaternary industry established in Malta, including gaming industries and other types of employment that involve technology (Grech, 2016). Even though there are no available official statistics yet, coworking spaces for the economically active cohorts are gaining momentum. Such spaces have not been utilised by the established industries or companies in Malta but primarily by freelancers, foreign businesspeople and self-employed persons. The Valletta Design Cluster Project recently inaugurated the Old Abattoir renovation, including CSs and Makerspaces (Valletta Cultural Agency, 2021).peer-reviewe

The emergent inequities and inequalities resulting from lockdown and social distancing measures taken to stop the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic within a Maltese scenario

The COVID-19 measures of lockdowns and social distancing impact the wellbeing of different groups of people across populations, even in small countries such as Malta that enjoys free health care. This paper uses a mixed method approach to explore which aspects of the social determinants of health created new inequities and inequalities amongst the Maltese inhabitants during the first wave of the COVID-19 period; it determines who the groups of people mostly being affected by the pandemic measures are; explores the complexity of experiences during the partial lockdown measures; determines which neighbourhood contextual environments are likely to cause harm to people’s wellbeing; and understands the effect of the social distancing measures within a cultural context of outdoor social interaction. Age, gender and neighbourhood landscape environment are significant determinants of the experience of COVID-19 measures. Yet, when looking in depth it became evident that the personality, marital status, housing type, family environment, employment type and conditions, access to social media, contextual social norms and neighbourhood contexts of individuals determined the experienced inequities and inequalities, in complex ways. It emerged that these aspects experienced during the pandemic highly determined the wellbeing of different groups of people.peer-reviewe

The COVID-19 Pandemic and the future of working spaces

This chapter proposes a policy package that includes coworking spaces (CSs) combined with chrono-urbanism – the concept in which people access urban services and amenities mostly by walking or cycling in an urban area within a given time (Moreno et al., 2021) – in the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond, with a special focus on Malta. Malta is an archipelago comprising three islands: Malta, Gozo, and Comino. Its total land area is 316 km2. The archipelago consists of six districts and 68 local councils. The population density of Malta is one of the highest in the EU (1867 persons/km2) (National Statistics Office, 2019). The population of Malta had grown stable by 2010, but as of 2013, it started to increase with immigrants and expats working mostly in the technological, financial, and building industries, reaching half a million. With respect to mobility in Malta, cars are favoured over alternate forms of transportation, namely due to a car-oriented culture and infrastructure investments that prioritize them. For this chapter, CSs are defined as membership-based workspaces in which diverse groups of entrepreneurs and other non-traditional workers work together in shared, communal spaces (Howell & Bingham, 2019). The concept of CSs in Malta is relatively new, starting around 2015 and based on a bottom-up free-market approach with grassroots initiatives (Capdevila, 2017) from local and foreign entrepreneurs. Accessibility to CSs and their geographic proximity highly influence mobility patterns (Mariotti & Akhavan, 2020). There are two important approaches to choosing the right strategic location for a CS. From an entrepreneurial point of view, the CS needs to be located in a high catchment area to maintain and receive a large number of customers, whereas from a mobility perspective, accessibility to the CS is key. The aim of this chapter is to explore how coworking spaces and chrono-urbanism can be part of a policy package that can be used to encourage sustainable mobility in a car-dependent society, Malta. It adopts a mixed methods approach that includes quantitative analysis from an online questionnaire, analysis of narratives from semi-structured interviews, and reviews and evaluations of mobility-related policies. This chapter proceeds with the background to the case study, Malta, together with literature on how the pandemic has influenced work and what is being done to rebound in the post-pandemic period. This description is followed by the research methods, detailing how the research was conducted. The analysis is divided into three parts: travel behaviour before and during the partial lockdown, narratives from local councils, and policy review and evaluation. The discussion ties the findings in with the existing literature and is followed by the conclusion.peer-reviewe