The Psychology of Place

Trained in community psychology, Iain M. Butterworth has spent 30 years connecting planners, policymakers, researchers and citizens to build healthier communities. A Fulbright Scholar, he works across governments, universities and NGOs to establish applicable research findings on planning and liveability.

'In an age of growing disconnection from nature and each other, our wellbeing demands we re-grow a sense of place, of connection to our homes and communities, our cities, Country and the Earth. In bridging Indigenous and Western perspectives, this book makes an important contribution to this necessary transformative change.' Trevor Hancock, Professor Emeritus, School of Public Health and Social Policy, University of Victoria, Canada

• Introduction: psychological conceptions of place: opportunities for rebuilding our place in a post-colonial world Iain Butterworth; Part I. Conceptual Frameworks and Worldviews: 1. Issues and opportunities for defining and measuring 'the psychology of place' Iain Butterworth; 2. 'We can no more own the land we walk on than the air we breathe': indigenous conceptions of place Uncle Ray Woods, Donna Murray, Letetia Harris, Alison Vivian and Michael Halloran; Part II. Examples, Issues and Opportunities for Policy and Practice: 3. Climate change as a disrupter of sense of place Dan Guttman, Janet Stanley and Iain Butterworth; 4. The application and assessment of regional and rural liveability Melanie Davern, Leila Farahani and Rebecca Roberts; 5. Neighbourhood connections of Iranian migrants in Melbourne, Australia Somaieh Ebrahimi , Liz Taylor, and Iain Butterworth; 6. Ellenbrook New Town 1993–2023: reconnecting people to place via traditional neighbourhood design Mike Day and Iain Butterworth; 7. Sense of place among young people in Nashville, Tennessee Megan L. McCormick, Shayda Azamian, Kathryn Y. Morgan, Kayla M. Anderson, Melody Gibson and Brian D. Christens; 8. Sense of place and liveability: community cognitions, attachment and social action Douglas D. Perkins, Iain Butterworth and Nikolay L. Mihaylov; 9. Creating healthy places and neighbourhoods: the role of public policymaking Carmel Williams, Nicole Valentine, Yonatal Tefera, Nadia Wei Ee Lai and Mija Coad; 10. Our place — our journey: How we worked to assist in rebuilding a broken city to establish a place for all people to thrive Anna Stevenson, Debbie Tikao and Karen Banwell; Part III. Building Bridges: 11. Indigenous nation-building: bridging the gaps between policy implementation and connection to Country Mandy Gadsdon, James Butterworth, Alison Vivian, Michael Halloran and Iain Butterworth; 12. Indigenous knowledge systems as keys to rebuilding humans' relationships to place and planet Michael Donovan; 13. The architecture of belonging: finding the pulse of a precinct Sarah Lynn Rees, Dan Honey, Leigh Carmichael, Iain Butterworth, Michael Frazzetto and Julia Haselhorst; 14. The courage to heal: reflections on working as an ally in planning with Country Michelle Howard; Part IV. Reflections: 15. Issues and opportunities for reconciling Western and Indigenous conceptions of place Iain Butterworth, Mandy Gadsdon and James Butterworth; 16. Afterword. Saving a place for hope: how a posthuman approach can help us stay grounded during rapid change Peter Streker.