What the Social Scientists Say
Let’s begin with some definitions. Following is a list of five definitions from five
different fields. These examples are not meant to be an exhaustive list of all the definitions used
by various disciplines, rather they are a sample of the diversity and commonalities among
definitions. Hopefully, as a group, they address most of the aspects commonly associated with
the concept sense of place, also referred to as place attachment, topopilia, insidedness, and
community sentiment (1).
Anthropology: Setha Low,
“Symbolic Ties that Bind: Place Attachments in the Plaza” (2)
“Place attachment is the symbolic relationship formed by people giving culturally sharedemotional/affective meanings to a particular space of piece of land that provides the basis for the individual’s and group’s understanding of and relation to the environment.... Thus, place attachment is more than an emotional and cognitive experience, and includes cultural beliefs and practices that link people to place.”