Place Meaning and Attachment: Authenticity, Heritage and Preservation

Revolutions have gripped many countries leading to the destruction of buildings, places, and artifacts; climate change is threatening the ancestral homes for many, the growing uneven distribution of resources has made the poor vulnerable to the coercive efforts by the rich, and social uncertainty has led to the romanticizing of the past. Humanity is resilient, but we have a fundamental need for attachment to places, buildings, and objects.

This edited volume will explore the different meanings and forms of place attachment and meaning based on our histories and conceptualization of material artifacts. Each chapter examines a varied relationship between a given society and the meaning formed through myth, symbols, and ideologies manifested through diverse forms of material artifacts. Topics of consideration examine place attachment at many scales including at the level of the artifact, human being, building, urban context, and region. We need a better understanding of human relationships to the past, our attachments to the events and places, and to the external influences on our attachments. This understanding will allow for better preservation methods pertaining to important places and buildings; and, enhanced social wellbeing for all groups of people.

Covering a broad range of international perspectives on place meaning from the United States to Europe, Asia to Russia, and Africa to Australia, this book is an essential read for students, academics and professionals alike.

Dak Kopec, University of Nevada Las Vegas, Las Vegas, Nevada, United States is an Associate Professor and two-time award-winning author. He has published five books, two monographs, and several chapters in edited books and journal articles. Dr. Kopec was a Fulbright Specialist and served two appointed terms as reviewer. He is an internationally recognized expert in neuro-psychology and bio-physiology in relation to the designed environment. He has been invited to Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Central and North America, and Asia. Dak is also credited with researching, developing, and administering the first low residency graduate program focused on designs for human health.

AnnaMarie Bliss, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States is a lecturer and practitioner of architecture and historic preservation. Her scholarship concentrates on the socio-spatial and haptic aspects of preservation design triggering changes in the environmental perception of users. Dr. Bliss’s research engages tourist-historic places with special emphasis on the effects of adaptation to historically significant sites. Her efforts focus on visiting populations who interact with the world’s most treasured places of significance. Dr. Bliss has been awarded various national recognitions for her work including the P.E.O Scholar Award and the King Medal for Excellence from the Architectural Research Centers Consortium.