In the face of global interconnectivity where homogenization of culture is endemic, what
price individuality and sense of the authentic? While commercial corporate identity is rampant, showing
the same branding in Prague as in Pittsburgh, where stands the differentiated meaning of cities and what
creates their sense of individuality? This paper will argue that a sustainable and culturally enriched
engagement with place primarily comes from understanding the context of the place — its history, its
layered meanings and the contexts that individuals draw from their understandings of their physical
environment, mediated by their past experience. It will propose that ‘sense of place’ (‘genius loci’) is
the physical manifestation of authenticity and outline a simple model for understanding authenticity. It
will draw upon examples from Perth, Western Australia to show how the topography and interpretation
of the city’s historical connection to water still is a defining factor for city development and how
memories of the built environment in the inner city have strongly influenced residents’ sense of place
and, by extension, their sense of self.
Keywords: Genius loci, sense of place, historical cities, modern cities, interpretation, authenticity, heritage,
built environment.
