Imagine
for a moment that you are walking down a familiar street within your neighborhood
and someone stopped to ask you, "What is it that defines your community?
What is your connection to this place?" What would you say? Would you start
describing the natural elements such as the mountains or the forest? What about
the physical elements, the buildings or maybe even the people? Maybe you would
answer with reference to your local park or your favorite store? Would you describe
a feeling? How would you answer the question? Have you ever thought about what
it is that connects you to where you are?
There
is no right or wrong definition for what provides an individual with that connection
to a place, it is different for everyone. Sense of place is better understood
as the feeling of connection with the land, other people, and society. As Simone
Weil put it, "To be rooted is perhaps the most important but least understood
need of the human soul." Each individual has their own criteria that define
sense of place just as each community has a sense of place that defines it and
sets it apart from other communities. Whether it is the flow of the river running
through town, the blossoming of the spring wildflowers, or the familiar faces
one sees while walking down the street, sense of place is the dynamic look and
feel of the environments in which we live.
Sense
of place inherently exists in every community. Sense of place dictates how a
community functions on a day-today basis, what motivates that community to respond
effectively to change, and how well that community survives over time. As Richard
Florida points out in his book Rise of the Creative Class, "Place
is becoming the central organizing unit of our economy and society." It
is the sense of place that allows for distinct and individual communities everywhere.
Although
every community has a unique sense of place, recognizing, defining, and harnessing
it takes effort. The quote at the top of this page provides a foundation for
defining sense of place, beginning with a deliberate reconnection with the values
that tie us to each other and to the earth. In thinking about and envisioning
the future of our communities, it is important to consider the collective sense
of place of the people who live there. What draws people to that particular
community? What is important to the community? What are the common goals of
the community? What would the community like to see change?
When
beginning to redefine or revitalize our communities, it is important to first
recognize, define, and harness the sense of place for our particular community.
The core set of values or collective sense of place provides the foundation
upon which chanage can take place. Part One of the Open Space Toolkit provides
tools for evaluating your community's sense of place and harnessing those shared
values as the foundation for prolonged prosperity.
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