Place Attachment

Environmental and Architectural Phenomenology, spring 2011 issue (vol. 22, no. 2)

by David Seamon

Feature essays: ENVIRONMENTAL AND ARCHITECTURAL PHENOMENOLOGY, spring 2011.

Feature essays in this issue... more Feature essays: ENVIRONMENTAL AND ARCHITECTURAL PHENOMENOLOGY, spring 2011.

Feature essays in this issue of EAP focus on landscape restoration and real vs. virtual animal dissections. 

In the issue’s first essay, Canadian educator Norm Friesen demonstrates how a phenomenological perspective contributes to understanding the lived differences between real and virtual realities. He focuses on laboratory vs. digitally-simulated animal dissections and draws on the ideas of Heideggerian philosopher Albert Borgmann to locate some of the pedagogical strengths and weaknesses of reality-based vs. hyperreal modes of learning.

In the issue’s second feature essay, retired Australian educator John Cameron writes a sixth “letter” from his rural home on Tasmania’s Bruny Island. His focus is the ecological restoration of some 50 acres of overgrazed paddocks, and the difficulties and satisfactions, both philosophical and practical, which arise from his decision to return the land to its “natural state.”

Back issues of EAP are now available at:

www.krex.k-state.edu/dspace/handle/2097/1522

David Seamon
Editor, EAP

Environmental Justice and the Impact of Uncertainty

by Christopher Groves

"Living with Uncertainty: Community Impact of the South Wales Gas Pipeline"

by Christopher Groves

Place identity and place attachment

by David Uzzell

Twigger-Ross, C. and Uzzell, D L (1996). ‘Place identity and place attachment’ Journal of Environmental Psychology, 16, 2, 205-220.

This paper examines the role of place and identity processes using Breakwell’s model as a framework. This model... more This paper examines the role of place and identity processes using Breakwell’s model as a framework. This model suggests that there are four principles of identity which guide action: continuity, self-esteem, self-efficacy and distinctiveness. These principles are examined here in relation to attachment to a residential environment. It focuses on residents living in an area of the London Docklands, chosen because of the social, environmental and economic change in that area. It was hypothesized that attached respondents would discuss their relationship with the local environment in ways which supported or developed the identity principles whereas nonattached residents would not consider the local environment in this way. Twenty indepth semi-structured interviews were carried out on a sample of residents from Rotherhithe in the London Docklands. The interviews were transcribed and content analysed. Results showed that there were differences between the attached and nonattached respondents in their discussion of their local environment. In addition, there were differences within the nonattached group such that some residents were not attached and neutral with regards to their residential environment, whereas others were not attached but had a negative evaluation of their residential environment. These results are discussed within the identity process model framework.

Place, Place Identity, and Phenomenology

by David Seamon

A chapter in The Role of Place Identity in the Perception, Understanding, and Design of the Built Environment, Hernan Casakin, Ombretta Romice, & Sergio Porta, editors. London: Betham Science Publishers, 2011. © 2011 David Seamon.

As recent phenomenological studies have demonstrated (Casey 1997, 2009; Malpas 1999, 2006; Mugerauer 2008; Stefanovic... more As recent phenomenological studies have demonstrated (Casey 1997, 2009; Malpas 1999, 2006; Mugerauer 2008; Stefanovic 2000), the phenomenon of place is a multivalent structure sophisticated and complex in its existential constitution. In this chapter, I offer one phenomenological vantage point from which to examine this lived complexity. I contend that, as an integral structure of human life, place can be understood in terms of three dimensions: first, the geographical ensemble—i.e., the material environment, including both its natural and human-made dimensions; second, people-in-place, including individual and group actions, intentions, and meanings; and, third, spirit of place, or genius loci.

Drawing on the conceptual approach of “systematics” developed by the British philosopher J. G. Bennett, I argue that these three dimensions can engage in six different ways, each of which relates to one particular lived mode whereby place contributes to human life. These six modes are: (1) place interaction; (2) place identity; (3) place creation; (4) place intensification; (5) place realization; and (6) place release.

I argue that place identity is important for understanding the nature of place but is complemented by other modes of relationship that together help clarify the complexity and richness of place and place experience.

The Enviro-Biographical Interview: Attachment to Place in the Aftermath of Disaster

by Eleonora Rohland

Co-authored with with Maike Böcker, Gitte Cullmann, Ingo Haltermann and Franz Mauelshagen, in: Oral History and Crisis, edited by Mark Cave and Stephen Sloan. New York: Oxford University Press, in preparation.

This chapter explores the question as to why people return to or stay in a place after the oc-currence of a natural... more This chapter explores the question as to why people return to or stay in a place after the oc-currence of a natural disaster. The research for this study was conducted by the members of the research group “Memories of Disasters” which is part of the “Climate & Culture” program at the Institute for Advanced Study in the Humanities Essen (Germany.) This initiative explores how natural disasters are remembered in different cultures and whether the experience and memory of natural disasters informs future action. The research group unites researchers from four disciplines (history, geography, ethnology and sociology) who each conducted from 60 to 80 qualitative interviews in the aftermath of a natural disaster on different continents (North America, Africa, Europe, Latin America). The calamities researched range from river floods caused by extreme rainfall (Ghana and Germany), to a hurricane and flood disaster (USA) to a volcanic eruption and consequent inundation (Chile).
The first part of this chapter presents a selection of interview excerpts from our four case studies, focusing on interviewees’ reasons to remain in/ return to disaster-prone areas. The second part introduces the interview method that was designed for this interdisciplinary and cross-cultural research endeavor, the enviro-biographical interview. We conclude by comparing culturally specific aspects of attachment to place from the four case studies.

Place Meaning, Attachment and Identity in Contemporary Indigenous Inala, Queensland

by Kelly Greenop

Sorcery and spirits: Intercultural housing and place in Aboriginal Australia

by Kelly Greenop

Inala traditions: People, places and history in urban Indigenous communities

by Kelly Greenop

Antecedents of Tourists' Loyalty to Mauritius: The Role and Influence of Destination Image, Place Attachment, Personal Involvement, and Satisfaction

by girish prayag

Toponymic dependence research and its possible contribution to the fi eld of place branding

by Laura Kostanski

Place Branding and Public Diplomacy (2011) 7, 9 – 22.

The researcher set out to investigate whether people form dependencies with toponyms (place names) in similar ways to... more The researcher set out to investigate whether people form dependencies with toponyms (place names) in similar ways to which dependencies can be formed with places. It has been found that while people are dependent on a place to provide particular facilities, people and governments are also dependent on toponyms to provide particular branding requirements. The theory of toponymic dependence has been developed and this article outlines how toponymic dependence is determined by the ability of a toponym to provide a unique representation, or branding opportunity, of a place. This article provides the
framework for future publications, which assess the adequacy of past government place branding proposals, and discusses the importance of considering the construct of place dependence when developing place branding campaigns.

Attachment to place, social networks, mobility and prospects of young people

by Richard White

The full report by Anne E Green and Richard J White, is published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.

This study explores how young people's attitudes towards education, training and work opportunities are shaped by... more This study explores how young people's attitudes towards education, training and work opportunities are shaped by their social networks and attachment to place, and looks at how interventions might widen their horizons and improve their prospects.

Shaped by place: young people's decisions about education, training and work

by Richard White

Co-authored with Anne Green, published in Benefits: the journal of poverty and social justice

This article explores the ways in which young people's decisions about post-compulsory education, training and... more This article explores the ways in which young people's decisions about post-compulsory education, training and employment are shaped by place, drawing on case study evidence from three deprived neighbourhoods in England. It discusses the way in which place-based social networks and attachment to place influence individuals' outlooks and how they interpret and act on the opportunities they see. While such networks and place attachment can be a source of strength in facilitating access to opportunities, they can also be a source of weakness in acting to constrain individuals to familiar choices and locations. In this way, 'subjective' geographies of opportunity may be much more limited than 'objective' geographies of opportunity. Hence it is important for policy to recognise the importance of 'bounded horizons'.

Opening up or Closing down Opportunities?: The Role of Social Networks and Attachment to Place in Informing Young Peoples’ Attitudes and Access to Training and Employment

by Richard White

Co-authored with Professor Anne Green (University of Warwick)

Published in Urban Studies

Drawing on case study evidence from three deprived urban neighbourhoods in England, this paper explores the influence... more Drawing on case study evidence from three deprived urban neighbourhoods in England, this paper explores the influence of social networks and attachment to place on young people’s access to training and employment opportunities. The findings presented contribute to the emerging literature which highlights the importance that place-based social networks have in facilitating young people’s access to training and employment opportunities through provision of trusted information, references and role models. Moreover, the evidence also demonstrates how both social networks and attachment to place may constrain geographical and social horizons, and therefore limit the available opportunities in employment and training that young people perceive are open to them. The paper concludes by focusing on policy implications. In particular, it is argued that it is important that the influence of social networks, place attachment and associated subjective geographies is recognised by academics and policy-makers seeking a better understanding of the attitudes and perceptions of young people towards training and employment—especially in deprived areas.

Visitors to Mauritius-Place, Perceptions and Determinants of Repeat Visitation

by girish prayag

Ecological Restoration and Place Attachment; Emplacing non-places?

by Martin Drenthen

published in  Environmental Values , vol.  18, nr.3 (August 2009): 285-312

The creation of new wetlands along rivers as an instrument to mitigate flood risks in times of climate change seduces... more The creation of new wetlands along rivers as an instrument to mitigate flood risks in times of climate change seduces us to approach the landscape from a 'managerial' perspective and threatens a more place-oriented approach. How to provide ecological restoration with a broad cultural context that can help prevent these new landscapes from becoming nonplaces, devoid of meaning and with no real connection to our habitable world. In this paper, I discuss three possible alternative interpretations of the meaning of places and place attachment in these ‘new nature’ projects, and show how all three imply a different view on human identity and history.

NIMBY and the Ethics of the Particular

by Martin Drenthen

# Martin Drenthen: 'NIMBY and the Ethics of the Particular'. Ethics, Place & Environment Vol,14,nr 3 (2010): 321-323.

In “Why Not NIMBY?” Derek Turner and Simon Feldman fail to address that many NIMBY protesters are not just concerned... more In “Why Not NIMBY?” Derek Turner and Simon Feldman fail to address that many NIMBY protesters are not just concerned with concrete decision making, but also introduce a ‘metaphysical’ issue that liberal-democracy considers an inappropriate subject for the political debate. The type of rationality dominating political discourse requires one to reason in terms of 'common good' or personal preferences that can be weighted against other preferences. NIMBY’s do neither; rather they reframe the debate, starting from a radically different approach to the meaning of place that questions the very notion that particular places can be compared.

Violence sits in places? Cultural practice, neoliberal rationalism, and virulent imaginative geographies

by Simon Springer

Springer, S. 2011. Violence sits in places? Cultural practice, neoliberal rationalism, and virulent imaginative geographies. Political Geography. 30 (2), 90-98.

Through imaginative geographies that erase the interconnectedness of the places where violence occurs, the notion that... more Through imaginative geographies that erase the interconnectedness of the places where violence occurs, the notion that violence is 'irrational' marks particular cultures as ‘other’. Neoliberalism exploits such imaginative geographies in constructing itself as the sole providence of nonviolence and the lone bearer of reason. Proceeding as a ‘civilizing’ project, neoliberalism positions the market as salvationary to putatively ‘irrational’ and ‘violent’ peoples. This theology of neoliberalism produces a discourse that binds violence in place. But while violence sits in places in terms of the way in which we perceive its manifestation as a localized and embodied experience, this very idea is challenged when place is reconsidered as a relational assemblage. What this re-theorization does is open up the supposed fixity, separation, and immutability of place to instead recognize it as always co-constituted by, mediated through, and integrated within the wider experiences of space. Such a radical rethinking of place fundamentally transforms the way we understand violence. No longer confined to its material expression as an isolated and localized event, violence can more appropriately be understood as an unfolding process, derived from the broader geographical phenomena and temporal patterns of the social world.