Storytelling through Sense of Place Mapping among Undergraduate Students of UP Los Baños

Abstract

Sense of place mapping is an attempt to visualize the different dimensions of human experiences and memories. One of the approaches for sense of place mapping is ‘Map your Memory,’ which is a mapping exercise that employs storytelling through maps by recalling the most memorable personal experiences and stories in a specified place. Such an approach highlights the aim of geonarratives which makes invisible stories visible. This paper presents a collection of and reflection on memory maps created from 2017 until 2019 by University of the Philippines Los Baños undergraduate students taking up a fundamental course on human settlements. The process of mapmaking without the need for professional cartographic images enabled the students to elicit the value and the meanings they attach to the place beyond nostalgic feelings. The maps formed a collective depiction of the UPLB campus based on various individual memories and personal impressions of the students. The activity and the process of mapping their memory highlighted a sense of plurality in terms of place attachment and meanings. Similar mapmaking activity can supplement the technical process promoted by public and private institutions in conducting cartographic exercises for planning public or shared spaces that stimulate interactions and various social activities.