Turning a landscape into a suburban community and the realization of a sense of place

This article examines landscape transformation in emerging suburbs through community creation and the meaning of a sense of place. The comparative case study explores community arrangements in two settlements in the post-socialist Urban Region of Tallinn, Estonia, in a former military area and in a former gardening cooperative that have been turned into permanent living spaces. The study observed a distinction between the social and ecological sense of place that had different effects on the landscape transformation. The study suggests that attention should be paid to the diverse activities in local communities to help develop planning strategies that support general socio-cultural sustainability in transforming landscapes.