Overview
sense of place
Quick Reference
Either the intrinsic character of a place, or the meaning people give to it, but, more often, a mixture of both. ‘Sense of place…is an umbrella concept that includes all the other concepts—attachment to place, national identity, and regional awareness…The messages transmitted are not neutral, but rather they reflect the subjective senses of the beholder or the perceptions of “society” ’ (Shamai (1991) GeoForum 22, 3). Robinson (2006) UNESCO Univ. & Heritage, 10th Int. Seminar, argues that it is ‘the intangible characteristics of places which are central to our recognition of the more perceptually and socio-culturally founded notion of sense of place’. Planners consciously create or preserve memorable and singular structures to make a space distinctively different—such as the UK Angel of the North.
