Evaluating sense of place as a domain of human well-being for Puget Sound restoration
This report communicates findings of a social science study conducted between July 2013 and December 2014 on a focal domain of human well-being: sense of place.
Summary
People foster unique stewardship ethics grounded in place-based practices that are not otherwise acknowledged or reflected in current ecosystem assessment and restoration approaches used in Puget Sound. The integration and examination of more complex measures of sense of place is important precisely because of the role of relational- and practice-based place attachments in developing stewardship and restoration ethics for people. This fuller understanding of sense of place deserves stronger centrality in policy, monitoring, and action. Our results suggest the importance of understanding and improving the conditions (e.g., access, knowledge, and ecological integrity) that enable the continuum of place attachments, for ecological improvements as well as human well-being and quality of life.
Citation
Donatuto, J. and Poe, M.R. (2015). Evaluating sense of place as a domain of human well-being for Puget Sound restoration. University of Washington Puget Sound Institute. Technical report. 80 pgs.