A SENSE OF PLACE

An important term in Geography,

Philosophy, History, Social
Psychology, and Nature Writing
 A sense of place
• “Once in his life a man ought to concentrate his
mind upon the remembered earth. He ought to give
himself up to a particular landscape in his
experience; to look at it from as many angles as he
can, to wonder upon it, to dwell upon it. He ought
to imagine that he touches it with his hands at
every season and listens to the sounds that are
made upon it. He ought to imagine the creatures
there and all the faintest motions of the wind. He
ought to recollect the glare of the moon and the
colors of the dawn and dusk.”
• --N. Scott Momaday, The Way to Rainy Mountain
 Basic elements in
a sense of place
A sense of place involves:
1.Single location: a focus on a specific,
defined location.
2. Ecological distinctiveness: a
recognition of the distinctive qualities of
the natural world at that location. Usually a
person with a sense of place has some
significant knowledge of the natural world
there.
 Basic elements in
a sense of place
3. Human meaning:
• A personal connection to the place, a
sense of personal meaning based in lived-
experience there.
• Can include shared, cultural meaning.
• Identification: I am part of this place.
• Usually developed over a period of time.
• “Storied”
 Place attachment
A sense of place also involves
• Value: A sense of the personal and
ecological value of the place
• Bond: An affection for and personal
identification with the place.
• Loyalty: A determination to protect the
place and often a desire to live there a
long time.
 Lack or loss of place
Not having a sense of place anywhere leads to:
• Alienation: a sense (often unrecognized) of
being cut off from nature
• Deprivation: since a sense of connection is
essential to a full human life, the person has an
‘emptiness,’ though this is often unrecognized.
Thus a sense of place involves an “ecosocial
psychology.”
 How do you develop a
sense of place?
• Getting to know the neighborhood:
Learn the distinctive ecological and
biogeographical facts about the place.
• Spending time there: All the knowledge
in the world can’t substitute for spending
time in the place, over many seasons and
years.
• Read others talking about their sense of
place to heighten your sensitivity to place.