Millennials desire and seek a sense of belonging within their environment. This emotional connection can be described through the use of several different terms: sense of place, sense of community, placemaking and place attachment. As a cohort, these young adults wish to identify with their surroundings, and feel like a member of their community because it provides emotional safety, personal connection and encourages personal relationships. Introduction to Sense of Place and Place attachment: Sense of place is the “development of level of comfort and feelings of safety that are associated with a place” (Kopec, p. 62). These associations often translate into that desired sense of belonging, and allow individuals the ability to “develop feelings of attachment to particular settings based on combinations of use, attractiveness, and emotion” (Stokowski, 2002). Developing these psychological connections with certain places lends itself to the concept of place attachment, or, “a person’s bond with the social and physical environments of a place” (Kopec, p. 62). These places often hold deep meaning for people because their identities were established among their surroundings. This affiliation between a person and their place is often seen through personal connection, comfort, and security (Kopec, p. 131). Many people feel as though the place they are in should have its own “special character”, or an identity that defines it, and distinguishes it from other places (Kopec, p.1). Kopec states, “An environment’s distinct spatial features, how it compares with others, its connections to personal life paths, and its potential for change combine to affect the meanings places have for people”. An establishment of this sense of place identity ... ... middle of paper ... ...f place, and facilitating place attachment is placemaking. When people create an identity within their physical environment, they are placemaking. Placemaking is defined as “the ability to shape public spaces within a community with an emphasis on community and connection between the environment and the user” (PPS, p.). There are several important principles of place making to take into consideration. • “The community is the expert”. Generally, the people within a certain environment know and understand what needs to be done to best create a sense of belonging. • When people manipulate the physical world of living to make it their own, they are placemaking. Placemaking extends beyond the act of building or renovating space and to become a process that encourages the creation of vital destinations where people invest, liyve, and visit (Schneekloth & Shibley, 199
Each person has a place that calls to them, a house, plot of land, town, a place that one can call home. It fundamentally changes a person, becoming a part of who they are. The old summer cabins, the bedroom that was always comfortable, the library that always had a good book ready. The places that inspire a sense of nostalgic happiness, a place where nothing can go wrong.
Penn exposes this in his film ‘Into the Wild’ portraying the conflicting ideas of feeling integrated with the natural environment by disassociated from our twisted contemporary society and belonging to family and friends and the people we will forever love. How would you like to escape the ways of this poisonous civilisation forever? To walk alone and find a place so simple and uncomplicated, a place of which you truly belong? This was Chris McCanless’s journey, for each and everyone of us. Sometimes we may be torn between where we belong and who we belong too. But no matter where you go or who you see, you will always take yourself with you. To be comfortable in yourself is the first step to being able to enrich your experience of belonging, contentment and acceptance with the ‘where’ and ‘who’ will
The scale changes dramatically as a boy tumbling down a basketball court to a team of cheerleaders practicing in a gymnasium. Moreover, according to lecture, place is a location where individuals embed meaning through the process of experience (Zonn, 09/22). Likewise, the article Place: An Experiential Perspective by Tuan specified that place is created when individuals bring meaning to a particular space (Tuan, 1975). Similarly, Edward Sharpe defined place by the perception of the performers changing the nature of the space and place based on their spirit and experience. In other words, Edward Sharpe characterizes place as something that was created through the meaning and experiences that were added from individuals, whereas society defines place based on the expected uses and activities upon the appropriate space. For example, the film “Man on Fire” presented a ballet performance in a New York alley where people would generally consider the space as a place to walk through. While the alley is interpreted as a narrow passageway, it meant for a place of presentation, dancing, and reunion for the
Beginning with our current and so far to what we have read the topics about biophilia, sustainable urban development, and that of sustainable transport, I can say I have so far learned more comprehensively about sustainability and the subsequent movement back toward a semblance of biophilia, then I have from all my previous schooling. Taking into account how many years it has been since that I’ve had to learn/relearn and also that of the generational gap of information encompassing these given topics, and with my knowledge (and/or lack thereof) may be sparse in consistency there certainly is a lack of usable knowledge from that of when I was in the earlier years (to ease confusion this refers to the levels of k-12) of schooling and that of the known usable knowledge now. To start this essay I will talk about the influences that were/are important in my education, what has/is the primary source to shape my education, and my past/present educational experiences.
Adrienne Rich once wrote an open letter titled “Politics of Location” that profoundly opened my eyes to a relevantly obvious concept of self-identity. More often than not, one fails to see the truth that sits right before his or her own eyes. However, it is still the responsibility of the individual to be accountable for that truth. The concept of politics of location is simply that one’s life experiences affects one’s perspective. Unintentionally, individuals make themselves the center of reality. When, in actuality, one is only the center of his or her own reality. Rich also goes on to explain that people are different; yet, individuals have an uncanny since of imagined community. That being, the feeling that
Irwin, Mary. “Sense of Place”. Interview by Interview by Mrs. Thibo’s H-English 10 class. 12 May 2010.
This essay will explore the ideas and processes of what makes a public space successful and how it becomes successful. The focus of this essay is to discuss and discover the extent to which some processes will make a public more successful than the other. Public space is a term used to describe a place as a space in which all citizens have a right of access to, there are many definitions of public space however they all suggest some type of public interaction taking place. Another definition could be a space where the public is formed and where social and cultural rules governing behaviour are predominate (Mitchell and Staeheli, 2009) Something else to pick out is the word ‘successful’; this could be regarding the environment, social aspects, or economic aspects. The themes that this essay will explore in relation to the success of public space are exclusion and inclusion, social value, social interaction and domestication. To support these themes about what does and does not make a public space successful, the use of
Standing on the balcony, I gazed at the darkened and starry sky above. Silence surrounded me as I took a glimpse at the deserted park before me. Memories bombarded my mind. As a young girl, the park was my favourite place to go. One cold winter’s night just like tonight as I looked upon the dark sky, I had decided to go for a walk. Wrapped up in my elegant scarlet red winter coat with gleaming black buttons descending down the front keeping away the winter chill. Wearing thick leggings as black as coal, leather boots lined with fur which kept my feet cozy.
Hence, allowing it to be recognisable as a separate entity. However, this distinctive characteristic has to be more than its surface appearance. It needed to be able to engage its users with authentic experiences. Experiences that are not distorted and mediated due to a series of arbitrary social constructs, but rather an experiential product as a result of being able to have a full sense of awareness and attachment to the place. Attachment in a way that one would feel as though he belongs part of the space. Thus allowing one to easily identify himself with. Therefore, the more profound the sense of attachment one has to the place, the stronger is the identity of the place.
Everyone has a special place that people will never forget. Sometimes it is because there were places that people experienced great joy or comfort. A special place represents peoples’ special memories either good or bad. Memory will following people whole life, and store people’s heart deeper. Good memory will coming all time. My special place and my memory is my grandparent’s house; my grandparent’s house practically is my second home. I would never forget that special place because of things going on my grandparent’s house, which is symbolized by my grandparent’s love.
When faced with new environmental changes and a lifestyle to adapt to, many college students feel overwhelmed by homesickness. Homesickness is most commonly due to anxiety, depression, and loneliness. A research studied concluded that homesick college students are three times more likely to drop out than non-homesick students. For many first-year college students, being away from home can be like an adventure. It’s exhilarating to be off on your own and completely in charge of your life and social well-being. I know that during my first week in college, I didn’t feel homesick at all because I was so anxious to meet new people, explore campus, and check out my classes. However, as I got more used to
More often than not, most of us have probably been to a place wherein we feel uneasy, agitated, or even tensed. We are put into a seemingly uninviting environment that is totally new to us that we can't help but to want to escape from it as soon as we can. Homesickness as some people may call it, some of us tend to long for the things and the people we are accustomed to be surrounded with. But I guess it's just safe to say that this isn't always the case. Every once in a while, we come upon a place that right from that moment of encounter, it seizes our hearts and grabs our attention. A place that we can say instantly makes us feel at home. A place that is so welcoming that our first time to chance upon with it doesn't feel like the first one at all. And luckily for us, Cupertino Center was exactly that – it was able to seize our hearts, grab our attention, and make us feel like we've found home.
A place, for me, is somewhere that I am familiar with and I recognize it in some way as my own special geographic location. It is somewhere I am emotionally attached to and it is a place that I wish to remain at. I personally feel that it has taken me years to achieve this particular comprehension about where for certain that place is for me in my life, and to make out why I feel a certain way about being within the walls of my own home. I have now come to realize that my home is where my heart will always truly be, because I believe it is the only place where I will always be loved without
A Community can be defined as a group of people who don’t just live in the same area, but also share the same interests, experiences and often concerns about the area in which they live. Often when individuals have lived on a street or in an area for a while they become familiar with each other and the issues surrounding them. Children often attend the same schools and grow up together, again sharing similar experiences. In some instances adults may work together, and quite commonly all community members will share the same doctors, dentists, hospitals, health visitors and other public services and facilities.
I think that, these kinds of places are meaningful to people because they are natural and people can be there alone, away from their everyday life.