An investigation of sense of place : a case study in the Cowichan Valley, British Columbia
Date
1986
Authors
Hay, Robert Bruce
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Abstract
Sense of place is a little understood relationship between a person and a place. It is thought that people transform "space" to "place" by assigning meaning to their own locale. A bonding element (attachment to place) is involved, as is a sensing element (awareness). The result is a feeling of rootedness, security, familiarity, loyalty, and territoriality in the place.
Most studies on sense of place have been theoretical. Research in behavioural geography has concentrated on perception, the use of time and space, and territoriality. Humanistic geographers, using thoughts from existentialism and phenomenology, have investigated people's life worlds; research topics have included insider-outsider, fields of care, the everyday world, place and placelessness, landscape appreciation, and sacred space. Field studies concentrated on the factors that develop a sense of place.
These studies largely excluded people's emotions and a regional dimension. A case study was undertaken in the Cowichan Valley to attempt to fill these gaps. A new methodology was employed, combining behavioural geography ( the functional relationship to place) and humanistic geography (the emotional relationship). An interview questionnaire was designed to gather this information.
The behavioural component of the data was statistically analyzed to isolate factors that develop a bond to place for people. Results indicated that awareness, number of family and friends, length of residence, having a reason to remain, exploratory trips, and number of special places were correlated with respondents' attachment levels. Regression analyses demonstrated the importance of awareness, having a reason to remain, and number of friends.
The phenomenological (subjective) component described respondents' sense of place. Residents were found to become attached to the Valley due to its scenery, outdoor recreation opportunities, climate, rural ambience, community spirit, and their bonds to family and friends. Some elderly residents described feelings of alienation. Although they were bonded to the Valley, economic development had changed its character, causing these residents to feel like strangers there.
Comments are offered in the conclusion on the possible effects of modern society on people's sense of place, occurring through urbanization, a mechanized work routine, an emphasis on consumptive materialism, and an increasing man/nature separation. For the Cowichan Valley, some recommendations are included to help preserve and enhance its sense of place. other remarks are ma.de on potential applications of sense of place research, future research directions, and implications for geography. Increasing the significance of sense of place within modern society is suggested, with geographers considered the most suitable candidates to research and communicate the topic.
Sense of place was found to be an important, but seldom considered, aspect of people's lives. It is an expression of man's relationship with the external world.
It is possible that this relationship has become tenuous in modern society due primarily to the separation of people from the land (for their sustenance). Cross-cultural research, particularly comparing primitive to modernized societies, is needed to confirm this hypothesis. Research findings could then be applied to modern society (if necessary) to rekindle the integrative man-environment relationship inherent to a sense of place.