Does time heal all wounds? : the restoration of place attachment after loss of place : the case study of Point Pleasant Park after Hurricane Juan

Abstract

On September 29th, 2003, Hurricane Juan destroyed 75% of Halifax’s beloved Point Pleasant Park. Park users were struck with grief and developed solastalgic feelings as they mourned the loss of a place that held such natural, cultural, and historical significance. Since 2005, the park has been under-going restoration. Drawing upon well-being, sense of place, place attachment and solastalgia literature, this study utilizes a placed-based approach to determine if long-term users have re-established positive place attachments. Results from interviews and online surveys (n=90) indicate that participants overcame their solastalgic feelings, feel a positive sense of well-being, and have re-established positive place attachments. Interestingly, results suggest that most long-term users have place attachments that are potentially as positive as their pre-disaster attachments, and potentially stronger than those who never experienced the traumatic event. This study concludes that, given enough time to adjust to the rebuilt place, ‘time heals all wounds.’