Fostering Health y Communities
through Connection with Nature
Sense of place integrates the physical place with the psychological and social elements of creating meaning and attachment, and with political economic dimensions of place engagement or citizenship action. Research has consistently shown that a sense of place is an important motivator for environmentally responsible behavior. As a result, the complex concept of sense of place is of interest to a variety of fields including conservation, education, community organizing and planning, psychology and sociology for its potential to understand and motivate human behavior.
As sustainability educators and practitioners we are actively engaged in inquiry regarding how different influences on sense of place relate to each other in the context of generating active engagement. We are seeking to foster a robust community of practice around sense of place by gathering resources and nurturing conversation around questions such as:
- How are people learning in and about place that contributes to the socio-ecological resilience of those places?
- How does learning contribute to re-inhabiting our places?
- What are other beings’ sense of place and how can this inform sustainability education?
- What is your personal narrative regarding connection to place and how it informs your work?
- How is it that people have strong connections to a place but differing worldviews and/or ways of caring for (or not) that place?
- How do indigenous knowledge systems inform a way forward for re-inhabitation without appropriation?
- How do people’s understanding and relationship with the complex ecological and social systems of a place result in their place engagement (or lack thereof)?
Join theSense of Place Community of Practice and explore resources.