The significance a place has to a particular function or people. Adams and Adger (2013) Environ. Res. Lett. 8, 1 investigate the attachment people form to place, and the role of the environment in creating that attachment. Lin-Yuan and Kosinski (1994) Int. Migr. 32, 1 argue that when people evaluate places, they don’t necessarily look for the one with the highest overall utility.