chapter 1.2

• sense of place is developed when people associate meanings and memories with a location

  it is deprived from our experiences with natural and built environment, and interactions with others at these locations

  it is highly personal and subjective, as one location can hold different meanings for different people, depending on our needs, lifestyle and how we make sense of our experiences of places

  example: homemakers and retirees may associate different meanings with hawker centres.
• people acquire a sense of place through repeated encounters with objects and people

  this helps us recall the character and features of places we come across, creating meanings and memories of them
• they may also acquire a sense of place through significant or memorable events at local landmarks and gathering places

  this is because landmarks are highly visible and easy for most people to remember

  they may serve symbolic or historical purposes

  they may hold positive or negative memories

  they may feature public symbols that reflect a community's response to a tragedy, serving as a place for people to preserve their memories of their loved ones
• interactions with people at everyday places may result in developing an attachment to these places, we may feel a sense of belonging to a certain location/area

  even places which may not be visually distinctive such as open lawns or plazas may be memorable places where people gather during community events
• sense of place may be represented through different types of media by individuals and organisations, which reflects people's ideas, memories and significance of the location

  the types of media can be texts, audio, graphics and still or moving images

  they can be shared with others through print media , broadcast media and internet-based media
• representations of sense of place may enhance or contradict one's sense of place due to different emotions expressed in the media

  we often respond well to representations that agree with how we feel about places in our neighbourhood
• representations of sense of place add new layers of meanings to these places by revealing interesting information about them, hence enhancing our sense of place as we develop greater appreciation for the place, enhancing our attachment to it
• we may respond defensively to media content that challenges our sense of place, causing us to dismiss the media content, perceiving them as distortions or untruths

  examples: negative media portrayal of Yishun