Sowing a sense of place : an in-depth case study of changing youths' sense of places

In this dissertation I examine the change in youths' sense of urban and non-urban places brought about by involvement in a multi-site agriculture program. The concept of 'Place' is more than the biophysical and built settings in a defined space; it also includes the human meanings and values associated with these locations. How a place is experienced is often referred to as sense of place, which may be defined broadly as the collection of meanings, beliefs, symbols, values, and feelings that individuals or groups associate with a particular locality. The literature in this area comes from a broad range of disciplines, including geography, environmental psychology, sociology and anthropology. It has also entered the lexicon of a diversity of practitioners, including environmental educators, urban planners, architects, and real estate developers. Its broad use suggests that these concepts resonate with a wide spectrum of scholars and practitioners. Surprisingly, little has been written about the sense of place among youth (either with reference to their home environment or in relation to other places that they may or may not have directly experienced). Similarly, little is known about the processes by which a sense of place develops.

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dept. of Urban Studies and Planning.

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• Fisman, Lianne

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Lawrence J. Vale.

• Urban Studies and Planning.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39933

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/39933