Attachment to Place

Attachment to Place

The importance of place(s) in the lives of humans is one of the most compelling forces in the realm of human action. Even other basic human needs—nourishment, protection, bonding with family and friends, and social interactions—all occur within the context of “place.” People readily identify with places; for example, ask any person to name a favorite place, and most will launch into a description of a special place that, for one reason or another, has an aura of “sacredness” about it that is tied to prior life experiences or events. In this chapter, we will be reviewing the broad interdisciplinary literature attachment to place that supports the argument that human attachment to place at all stages in the life cycle helps keep people connected to nature and the world and is fundamental to what it means to be human.

For many people, attachments to special places begin in childhood, and certain places stand out for their importance in first discovering the joys of nature through childhood exploration and discovery. For youth in the countryside, it might be along a stream at a special swimming hole, a secret fort in the woods, or a special place deep in a marsh to catch frogs or observe an otter. In the city, it might be an interactive place where friends meet or a more secret “discarded place” like an abandoned building or even a rail junkyard. In such places, children have control over the spaces they have created. Throughout one's life, a range of places stand out and may include, for example, places of solitude and reflection, places of shared adventures, and even “imaginary places of the mind.” A much deeper range of places and themes will unfold as we progress, with references to studies and writings that might help the reader establish in his or her own mind the meaning and importance of place in one's own life.

Attachment to place refers to subjective human attraction to, and bonding with, places that are considered to hold special meanings and even sacred qualities for that person. Special places also operate on an aggregate level, when there is a collective sense of importance of particular places of different types. For example, as of July 2011, the UNESCO World Heritage Centre has designated 936 heritage sites (725 cultural, 183 natural, and 28 mixed) that are considered to be places of outstanding universal value to all of humanity; these include such places as diverse and evocative as Stonehenge, the Statue of Liberty, Machu Picchu, and Mount Kilimanjaro (World Heritage Centre, n.d.).

Attachment to place is an important concept in geography in several ways: First, it is a key entry point into geography for students, because it is an idea to which they can quickly relate. Place attachments in one's own life can open the door to geographical awareness and the richness of the field of geography. In explaining geography's unique and inclusive perspective, for example, Abler, Marcus, and [Page 136]Olson (1992), in Geography's Inner Worlds: Pervasive Themes in Contemporary American Geography,

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