Characteristics of Evocative Places and Emotions Felt at These Places: A Multi-Cultural Comparison

This research concentrates on evocative places; places that evoke images, emotions, and memories. The main focus is on places at which people recharge and feel at peace. We study the locations of these places, their characteristics, and the emotions people attach to them. Paper-map and digital-mapping experiments were conducted in Hamburg (Germany), Ames and Grinnell (Iowa), Vitória, and Belo Horizonte (Brazil). Based on the data from all 804 collected places on three different continents we designed The Conceptual Model of an Evocative Place. The model structures the characteristics with which evocative places can be described into the four main categories: physical characteristics, experiences, senses, and values. We then discuss the differences in the locations of evocative places (outside vs. inside) and the differences in emotions expressed in different cities. In our further research we will explore the negative side of emotions and the deeper meaning of these differences.