In our everyday speech we refer to a “sense of place,” implying that the distinctive character of a particular place can be grasped by intuition. And we recognize that those whose intuitive sense of place is keenest have an advantage over others. Whether they are architects or planners, marketers, elected officials, civic activists, artists or developers, the ability to get a hold on what makes a place what it is, and attune what they do to that insight, is a powerful tool.
Probably some people will always be better able to apprehend what is special about different places, and we will all benefit from their skills. Our approach to understanding places opens up the process to participation by many people, both citizens and professionals, who do not lay claim to any special intuitive powers. When people invest their emotions, time and energy in a place it is a powerful asset, a form of social capital.
We must go beyond assessing and touting the quality of the workforce, of the education system, the availability of transportation and warehousing, the availability of tourism services and attractions, or even the presence of a creative class of knowledge workers—important as these are. We need to get at something richer, more complex, and more difficult to describe: the distinctive character of the place.
When a shared understanding of what is distinctive and emotionally compelling about a place emerges, it creates the best possible atmosphere for the most creative artists and professionals, because it at once inspires them and constrains them. It anchors their intuition to a shared context and it helps to get everyone moving in the same direction.