Using meaningful places as an indicator for sense of place in the management of social-ecological systems

Publikation: Beiträge in ZeitschriftenZeitschriftenaufsätzeForschungbegutachtet

Authors

Sense of place is increasingly advocated to support the management of social-ecological systems. Given the concept’s complexity, we suggest that an indicator for sense of place is needed to facilitate its application in practical planning. We propose such an indicator called “meaningful places,” defined as geographic locations to which (i) immediately perceived as well as socially constructed meanings are ascribed and (ii) evaluative attachments are tied. We applied the indicator in two independent case studies, Lübeck and Lahn, both of which aimed to integrate sense of place in an actual planning process. The case studies differed in the spatial scale of the meaningful places, the indicator’s operationalization, and the specific assessment methods. In the Lübeck case, semi-structured interviews and a simple mapping method were used to analyze participants’ “home-regions.” The results revealed diverse but overlapping locations characterized as aesthetic, different from others, close to nature, and quiet (place meanings). In the Lahn case, a public participation GIS (public participation geographic information system [PPGIS]) survey was conducted and yielded insights into the spatial distribution of meaningful places. The results reflect a wide range of place meanings linked to, for example, activities, aesthetic qualities, or well-being. Furthermore, participants expressed different intensities of place attachments. Although the indicator is still in an exploratory stage, it allows for reflection on potential benefits for planning practitioners. The resulting data can be combined with spatial information usually used in planning processes, e.g., about the state of the underlying physical environment and/or foreseeable drivers of change. This offers new opportunities for managers regarding the determination of priorities to conserve meaningful places, the anticipation of conflicts, and the utilization of the communicative power of meaningful places. We argue that the benefits for planning justify a new direction of research devoted to the development and further advancement of the indicator.

OriginalspracheEnglisch
Aufsatznummer9
ZeitschriftEcology and Society
Jahrgang27
Ausgabenummer4
Anzahl der Seiten12
ISSN1708-3087
DOIs
PublikationsstatusErschienen - 01.11.2022

Bibliographische Notiz

Funding Information:
We would like to thank all participants for their ideas, time, and effort. Special thanks to the reviewers for providing helpful comments and to Thea Kelly for providing writing consultation. The publication of this article was funded by the Open Access Fund of the Leibniz Universität Hannover.

Publisher Copyright:
© 2022 by the author(s). Published here under license by the Resilience Alliance.

Dokumente

DOI

Zuletzt angesehen

Publikationen

  1. Group membership does not modulate automatic imitation
  2. Klimapaket
  3. "God Is in the Details", or The Filing Box Answers
  4. Introduction
  5. Germany
  6. Vergesellschaftung durch Konsum
  7. Public understanding of climate change terminology in Germany
  8. More than Yield
  9. Verkleben
  10. Einleitung
  11. Bioconversion of agri-food residues into lactic acid
  12. Influence of three different balance shoes on EMG-activity during one-leg standing
  13. Impact and Importance of Heterocyclics in Remediation
  14. Materialities of the Performative
  15. Towards a decision support system for radiotherapy business continuity in a pandemic crisis
  16. Editors’ Conversation with German Art Historians Oona Lochner and Isabel Mehl: Writing Like a Feminist—In Dialogue with Carla Lonzi
  17. Emotional design and positive emotions in multimedia learning
  18. Alex Adriaansens
  19. Omega
  20. Einsame Lektüre oder Kommunikation?
  21. Mehrsprachigkeit und Interkulturalität in Fremdsprachenportfolios
  22. Christian Boltanski's Failed Meta-Archive
  23. Diskussionsforum
  24. Using ectomycorrhizae to improve the restoration of Neotropical coastal zones
  25. Wenig Lärm um nichts
  26. Reflektierte strukturierte Videoanalyse als Mittel institutioneller Professionalisierung angehender Fremdsprachenlehrender
  27. Qualitative environmental risk assessment of photolytic transformation products of iodinated X-ray contrast agent diatrizoic acid
  28. Regional Mobility Spaces? Visa Waiver Policies and Regional Integration
  29. Flexibility, dual labour markets, and temporary employment – Empirical evidence from German establishment data