Understanding sense of place and related concepts often presents challenges for both managers and researchers. Inconsistent application of terms, questions regarding their origin, and a lack of awareness of research findings contribute to the ambiguity of these concepts. This integrative review of research provides relevant, current information on the role of sense of place in natural-resourcebased recreation and tourism. Special focus is given to the foundations of place attachment, how place attachment may differ among user types, and the relation of place attachment to other psychological phenomena such as attitudes. The role of theory in place attachment also is addressed, and gaps in theoretical and empirical work are identified. This review provides specific recommendations for managers and others wanting to better understand the dynamics of sense of place.
While community quality-of-life indicators are gaining much needed attention in both scholarly work and practice, their application in the areas of parks, recreation and tourism management are not as well known. The applicability of indicator systems for natural resource and natural resource area management within the parks and recreation arena is very high, including urban parks and recreation programs and their influence on quality of life. Tourism is also an area that needs much more work in terms of assessing impacts as well as developing indicators for gauging progress in the long term. All three areas are an integrated discipline and most programs throughout the developed world are housed co-jointly. There are several researchers across the globe who are conducting innovative work in these areas. The editors feel that a volume on the topic will spur additional interests as well as serve to lead the research efforts.
In 2004 a group of scientists met to clarify their understanding of place-related concepts, approaches to the study of people-place relations, and the application of that understanding in recreation mgmt. for the purpose of integrating perspectives from different disciplines, discussing approaches to understanding and measuring sense of place, and other questions around the study and application of place-related concepts. Topics that generated the most discussion included how social processes influence place meanings, how place meanings are shared and negotiated within social groups, and when and how place meanings and attachments reduce or avert conflict in natural resource planning and mgmt. This collection of papers is a result of that meeting.
Over a 3-day weekend in the spring of 2004 a group of scientists interested in extending understanding of place as applied in recreation research and management convened a working session in Portland, Oregon. The purpose of the gathering was to clarify their understanding of place-related concepts, approaches to the study of people-place relations, and the application of that understanding in recreation management for the purpose of integrating perspectives from different disciplines, discussing approaches to understanding and measuring sense of place, and other questions around the study and application of place-related concepts. Topics that generated the most discussion included how social processes influence place meanings, how place meanings are shared and negoitated within social groups, and when and how place meanings and attachments focus, reduce, or avert conflict in natural resource planning and management. This collection of papers is a result of that meeting.
Edited by leading authorities, this key reference reflects the multidisciplinary nature of its subject. It is an essential resource for teaching, an invaluable companion to independent study, and a solid starting point for wider subject exploration.
A compilation of abstracts of papers presented at the 8th International Symposium on Society and Resource Management, held June 17-22, 2000. The abstracts explore the social dimensions of managing spatial landscapes for various purposes. The theme of the symposium, "Transcending Boundaries: Natural Resource Management form Summit to Sea," provided participants with the opportunity to explore the challenges of working across conceptual, cultural, and physical boundaries. The symposium focused on how social science research is being brought to bear on the exploration of "boundary issues" in resource management.
Making Sense of Place is a book of selected proceedings from the Senses of Place conference held in Hobart in 2006. Printed in colour with an accompanying DVD, it explores place from myriad perspectives and through evocative encounters.
The world is urbanizing at an unprecedented rate. It is estimated that in the near future urban landscapes for another ca. 2.7 billion people will be built on planet Earth, approximately converting land equivalent to the size of South Africa. Such land conversion, coupled with citizen densification, increasing in-equalities, shifting diets, and emerging technologies, challenge human well-being and pose ever-increasing demand for resources generated by the Biosphere. This Research Topic concentrates on the various ways urbanization can promote individual well-being (mental, physical, and social health) as well as ecological health (a healthy Biosphere). What kind of affordances for human health promotion can urbanization include? What kinds of affordances for a psychological connection with nature can urbanization include? What kinds of nudges for pro-environmental behavior and consumption (decreasing detrimental consumption behaviors) can be actively designed in urban settings? The Research Topic at hand uses a transactional approach, where an affordance can be understood as a non-deterministic in-situ precondition for a human activity, enabled by relations between abilities of an individual with features of an environment. We encourage a broad definition of the concept of affordances, where ‘the environment’ must not be restricted to the material biophysical environment alone, but also could be combined with social immaterial features. We see that the transactional approach of this Research Topic posits that meaning arises in relations between humans and their environment, that it will be equally applicable to natural and designed environments, and that it doesn’t regard dichotomies like city-contra-nature or social-contra-ecological. Hence, this Research Topic is interested in if the transactional approach can be used as a conceptual tool, not only for promotion of mental, physical, and social health in cities, but simultaneously for unraveling relations at the micro scale in cities which can be used for solutions that also promote a healthy Biosphere.
Themes include : Crossing conceptual, cultural and political boundaries -- ideas of community, place and landscape ; working in new temporal and spatial scales ; resource management and environmental justice ; bioregional, deep ecological and ecofeminist perspectives on natural resources ; cultural definitions of resources, co-management between state, provincial, federal/national governments and aboriginal/native peoples [First Nations] ; involvement of ethnic and racial minorities in policy making ; fisheries, parks, protected areas, in transboundary areas ; public-private sector collaboration, etc.
