Q2. Can virtual sense of place replace actual sense of place? Should it?
Yes
SimCity screenshot: the power to build cities from
scratch.
A quick review of the younger generation's hobbies reveals how easy it would be for a virtual sense of place to replace actual sense of place. It's the great possibility, if not the great fear. From video gaming (online and off) to social networking sites such as Facebook [find me on Facebook here, and Terrain.org here] to Second Life — "the internet's largest, user-created 3D virtual world community" —we spend more and more of our time online.
And, you know, we mostly like it. I recall before joining the graduate program in urban and regional planning at the University of Colorado - Denver how much I enjoyed playing SimCity. The game was for me what the move Top Gun was for Navy jet pilot recruits: great inspiration to get into the industry — in my case, urban design and planning. I spent hours on end creating beautiful, efficient, pedestrian-oriented cities (which were then usually destroyed by the program's War of the Worlds-like alien, much to my chagrin).
There may be other costs, as well.
And now, I'm afraid, I've misled you, because at this point you may think I will advocate for virtual sense of place replacing actual sense of place. Alas, I cannot — this is a position "paper," after all, and my position is that we'd be worse off indeed if the virtual succeeded in replacing the actual. Except perhaps in movie theaters. And race car driving. And jury duty.
Next: No