Spaces of Welfare: Editorial Introduction

To describe something as spaces of welfare immediately raises questions: What is welfare and what does it have to do with space? First, the noun welfare has a least two meanings. It can signify the state of a person’s or group’s physical and mental health and happiness, for instance in relation to safety and material goods. It also signifies the help given to people in need, for instance by the state or by organizations. There are various ways in which states might or might not provide such benefits. The Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden) are for instance well-known for providing rather extensive services to their inhabitants based on high levels of taxation, a model which political scientist Gøsta Esping-Andersen has described as “a social democratic capitalist welfare state model.” In many other countries, the role of the state is less significant while organizations such as private health insurance companies might be of more importance. Second, welfare – as explicated above – comprises an abundance of elements including people, actions, things and feelings. All these elements interact somewhere, hence the notion of space: Welfare is always situated, for instance as services provided in purpose-built public welfare ARCHITECTURE AND CULTURE