From location and (non-)place to place attachment and sense of place. An exploration of imagination as the key to transform spaces into places

In our research1 we focus on the architectural characteristics of a
location, seen as a precondition to appeal to the imaginative
power of learners that plays a part in satisfying their (presupposed)
spiritual hunger and longings for a better world. The concepts
space, nonplace, and place, in their relation to the concepts place
attachment and sense of place are central in our research. In written
and videotaped texts, pupils tell about their attachment to places
and sense of place. The preliminary analysis of the texts of the
pupils shows that friends and teacher(s) occupy a central place in
these pupils’ place attachment and sense of place.