Place, Place Identity, and Place Attachment

The chapter explores the important concepts of place, place identity and place attachment. They are theoretically significant ideas in environmental psychology, behavioural geography, and other disciplines. The concepts relate directly to some of the fundamental elements of our lives. Places can be thought of as meaningful locations. That meaning can be for populations, social groupings, or individuals. Places comprise physical attributes, activities, and their intrinsic or attributed meaning. Places form part of people’s core identity, including, for example where they are from, their historic position and other personal characteristics. People can form place attachments with environments in which they have spent time or in which significant events have happened and to which they wish to return. Place attachment has important applied implications. Drawing on empirical research the chapter uses place attachment to help explain, among other things, resilience and reactions to environmental risk and threat, how people respond to immigration, and why some people, but not others, object to sustainable infrastructure being built near to where they live. Understanding the concepts that are discussed in the chapter provides the foundation for understanding complex person-environment action.