Effects of Scale and the Biophysical Environment on Sense of Place in Northeastern Wisconsin’s Bioregions

Abstract

Understanding individuals’ and groups’ sense of place can provide insights into how people interact with and treat both natural and built environments, but empirical-place scholarship has paid relatively little attention to several key dynamics, including the existence and implications of broad-scale sense of place, and the biophysical (and bioregional) dimensions of sense of place. Accordingly, this empirical, phenomenological study investigates the scale at which sense of place develops and operates among a subset of residents engaged in watershed conservation activities in northeastern Wisconsin’s mixed-amenity coastal communities. In total, 22 semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals who were vocationally or avocationally involved in water-quality improvement and/or broad-scale conservation activities in northeast Wisconsin. Results indicate that biophysical landscape characteristics, particularly water, enable the sorts of meaningful social and sensory experiences that ultimately develop into a sense of place at varying geographic scales. Show more