The development of psychometric scales to measure sense of place

Sense of place has been described as a subjective construct without a formalized definition. Recent research has expressed a need for a holistic approach to managing landscapes (Driver et al. 1996). This study set out to (1) develop a simplified definition and (2) test domains and scales evaluating factors influencing sense of place perception.; Colorado State University was the research setting. Two sites determined to have high and low sense of place (Greene 1996b) were evaluated. One was the Oval, a historic mall; the other was a plaza with modern architecture.; The methodology involved multitrait-multimethod techniques based on grounded theory and qualitative research, and quantitative empirical survey research. Steps included a literature review of Environmental Psychology, Geography, Environmental Design, and Resource Management research. Focus groups and an expert panel developed 90 items to be used in a written survey, grouped into two sets of factors, four general domains, and fifteen scales. Three qualitative questions were included.; In addition to testing the scales at two sites, the survey used two experimental methods to test for differences between multisensory perception and single-sense visual perception. Surveys were completed by 373 students during July and August 1999.; Reliability analysis verified reliability of the domains and scales. Factor analysis resulted in no additional scales. Analysis of Variance showed significant differences between the two sites and two methods of evaluation. Thematic analysis of qualitative data determined additional factors to enrich the quantitative data.; The study resulted in significant findings in four areas: (1) a simplified definition of sense of place was developed; (2) a set of psychometric domains and scales were developed; (3) significant differences were found between two experimental methods and two settings; and (4) a new model was proposed.; The research supports practice from four disciplines which have previously worked independently to generate perception theory and takes a significant step toward understanding human-environment interaction. The research supports individual perceptions as valid, shows that sense of place is a concrete phenomenon which can be assessed objectively, and provides a methodology to evaluate sense of place.