People define themselves through a sense of place, so develop a person-place relationship. Place is also important when considering business like marketing – obviously place is important in promoting holiday destinations, and food is increasingly advertised based on where it originated.
Place plays a role in the construction and development of identity. This is most prevalent in terms of where you live, as you are surrounded by people, culture and media which may affect your identity, like reading a local newspaper or attending a local event for example. There are different scales of identity:
- Localism: Emotional ownership of particular place – often manifested in ‘not in my backyard’ movements, meaning people are reluctant for developments to occur in their local area.
- Regionalism: Consciousness of and loyalty to a specific region
- Nationalism: Loyalty and devotion to a nation – patriotism is like a sense of place – tends to be strengthened by common language, national anthem etc
Religion is also an important part of place and identity. Religious belief is vital in somebody’s identity. Religion also links to place, as on a local level, there may be places of worship appropriate to different religions where people go to express their beliefs. On a larger scale, there are places like Mecca or Bethlehem where religious pilgrimages would be made.
Belonging is also an important part of place. Belonging means being part of the community of a place, and it is seen more and more as a key factor making a place sustainable and successful. Regeneration schemes focus largely on improving the social aspect of towns in order to improve the belonging factor of place. The Transition Town movement was first set up in 2007 in response to the threats of climate change and peak oil. Since then, it has fought against many other issues, including those surrounding places, such as loss of community and economy, so the 1200 transition initiatives worldwide help to improve belonging in a place. Belonging can also be affected by factors like race, age, gender, ethnicity, religion etc.
A final factor making place important is well-being. A place should have features which help to improve residents’ lives in some way. For example, Skipton in North Yorkshire was classed as the best place to live in Britain in 2014, due to its proximity to the Yorkshire Dales, great schooling and independent shops. These factors help contribute to the health and happiness of people in the area, improving their well-being.