49
rare given their locality and engagement with the natural environment (Green, 2010). This wholeness
is connected to ‘deep sustainability’, where the integrated connections with nature and a place support
resilience of local communities. Deep sustainability goes beyond the mere aspects of resource efficiency, energy reduction or sustainable growth; rather, it requires emotional, spiritual and cultural
connections of people with their built environment, resulting in an environment that has a distinct
‘sense of place’ and character.
Place character is the ‘feel’, ‘atmosphere’, ‘ambience’, and the ‘soul’ of a place. This is a difficult
term to define, but a common description of place character is one that makes people feel at home and
attracted to its inherent qualities. All places in the built environment as well as in the natural environment possess character (Green, 2010). Some places are considered to have recognizable qualities and
have a unique character, and these are often referred to as having a ‘sense of place’. ‘Sense of place’
is a term that developed from the term genius loci, a term initially used to describe the appreciation of
landscapes (Jiven & Larkham, 2003). Genius loci can be acknowledged as a technical term, specific
to the new landscape. However, because this term developed over time, the concept moved away and
included its application to any landscapes, including the urban form (Jackson, 1994). Genius loci, in
its application to perception of a place, evolved into describing the quality of places and in the terminology’s transition to modern times it evolved into ‘Sense of Place’, which has been well described
by landscape author J.B. Jackson:
‘Sense of Place’ is a much used expression, chiefly by architects but taken over by urban planners and interior
decorators and the promoters of condominiums, so that now it means very little. It is an awkward and ambiguous
translation of the Latin term genius loci. In classical times it means not so much the place itself as the guardian
Fig. 4.2 Barwon Heads is a typical example of a small coastal town as ‘a place with lot of character’ (Photo by Donna
Squire, 2018)
4.4 Settlement Character in the Coastal Zone
rare given their locality and engagement with the natural environment (Green, 2010). This wholeness
is connected to ‘deep sustainability’, where the integrated connections with nature and a place support
resilience of local communities. Deep sustainability goes beyond the mere aspects of resource efficiency, energy reduction or sustainable growth; rather, it requires emotional, spiritual and cultural
connections of people with their built environment, resulting in an environment that has a distinct
‘sense of place’ and character.
Place character is the ‘feel’, ‘atmosphere’, ‘ambience’, and the ‘soul’ of a place. This is a difficult
term to define, but a common description of place character is one that makes people feel at home and
attracted to its inherent qualities. All places in the built environment as well as in the natural environment possess character (Green, 2010). Some places are considered to have recognizable qualities and
have a unique character, and these are often referred to as having a ‘sense of place’. ‘Sense of place’
is a term that developed from the term genius loci, a term initially used to describe the appreciation of
landscapes (Jiven & Larkham, 2003). Genius loci can be acknowledged as a technical term, specific
to the new landscape. However, because this term developed over time, the concept moved away and
included its application to any landscapes, including the urban form (Jackson, 1994). Genius loci, in
its application to perception of a place, evolved into describing the quality of places and in the terminology’s transition to modern times it evolved into ‘Sense of Place’, which has been well described
by landscape author J.B. Jackson:
‘Sense of Place’ is a much used expression, chiefly by architects but taken over by urban planners and interior
decorators and the promoters of condominiums, so that now it means very little. It is an awkward and ambiguous
translation of the Latin term genius loci. In classical times it means not so much the place itself as the guardian
Fig. 4.2 Barwon Heads is a typical example of a small coastal town as ‘a place with lot of character’ (Photo by Donna
Squire, 2018)
4.4 Settlement Character in the Coastal Zone