sense of place in sustainable

tourism development
what is sense of place

sense of place is the human

response to and
interaction with
• history
• geography
• population
• natural environment
• built environment
harnessing the power of sense of place

• synthesizes perception and

experience with the built
form
• provides an emotional link to
the significance of place
• adds dimension to
interpretation, conservation
and management
why do we need to recognize sense of place?

• when tourism pressures

compete with community
interests, sense of place is
imperiled by its
intangibility
• by articulating what is felt,
sensed and perceived, we
reveal a vital set of assets
for consideration in
sustainable tourism
development policy and
planning
sense of place brings balance

• heritage with history

• collective memory with
cellular memory
• tangible with intangible
• perception with action
history and heritage

• history shapes us as much

as we shape history
• sense of place values
that relationship and its
evolution over time
• sense of place integrates
memory and story as
aspects of history in the
collective consciousness
collective and cellular memory

• perceptions imprint on
our memory and root
themselves in our cells
• perceptions mix with
reality to form iconic
meaning
• cellular memory also
roots in place through
story and experience
tangible and intangible

• sense of place discovers

the experiences and
impressions that equally
shape people and place.
• sense of place articulates
the intangible qualities
of place to better plan,
manage and conserve
sites
discovering sense of place

• history
• geography
• built and natural
features
• plans
• regulations
• music, art, literature
discovering sense of place

• perception
• intention
• action
• expression
• impression
articulating sense of place
• mind The mind needs a
rational, quantitative,
factual understanding of
what can be seen and
measured
• heart The heart needs a
qualitative experiential
appreciation of what can be
sensed and felt
• soul The soul needs an
emotional connection to the
memories created and the
legacy left
presenting sense of place

• locating place in the

psyche- iconic
impressions
• locating place in the
mind – rational facts
• locating place in the
heart – experiential
stories
• locating place in the soul-
emotional memories
case study: the dune shacks
the controversy
how sense of place resolved the conflict
interpretive visit to c-scape
living memory
A writer’s residency: Fowler
writers return
case study: macmillan pier
the controversy
how sense of place resolved the conflict

• understanding
intention
• speaking to the
heart and soul of
the community
• finding connectors
• enabling dialogue
• engendering trust
and increasing
support
macmillan pier today
• A new regional hub for two fast
ferries and three regional bus
services connecting the town and
the region to downtown Boston
multiple times per day,
• A 100% increase in the
sustainable small boat fish fleet
accommodations,
• Accommodation for 14 tourist
excursion businesses including
sunset sailing and whale
watching
• Deep water dockage for tall
sailing ships and recreational
slips when the fishing fleet is out
to sea.
sense of place fosters sustainable development

• improving relations with local communities

• enhancing visitor experience
• easing maintenance burden through community participation
• creating a common language among (sometimes conflicting)
stakeholders
• mitigating visitor impact
sense of place fosters sustainable development

• sustains place
• sustains community
• sustains the relationship
between the two
thank you!