Place-Based Storytelling

Written by Colleen Foran
Boston By Foot Intern - Spring 2026

Boston By Foot tours are more than a few facts and a weekend-trip itinerary item. When guides share the histories layered at a site, it connects us more deeply to that place. When those histories are recounted in engaging ways, they stick with us to alter our understanding of neighborhoods. This transforms sense of belonging within our communities.

Boston By Foot guides use place-based storytelling to make that transformation happen. The practice of place-based storytelling refers to centering place in the stories we tell about our past, present, and future. Narratives are how we make sense of the world and our place within it. When we focus those narratives around a location, we can make them more impactful and resonant.

Place-based storytelling works because of the connection we feel with specific places. We sense this connection when the sight of a familiar office building drums up a hum of anxiety or a childhood-favorite park causes a smile. Cognitive psychology backs up these tangible connections between place and emotions.

Place-based storytelling has been demonstrated to grow investment in our communities. It can improve civic engagement and trust in our neighbors—a vital idea in this moment. This makes it essential to think through which stories (and whose) we tell alongside where and how we tell them.

Research also shows that hearing place-based stories on site can encode them more strongly in our minds. This is essential to the mission of Boston By Foot: when listeners hear historical narratives about the very place they are standing, they report an increased sense of authentic place and improved educational and entertainment value. Those results are reinforced by mapping out connections between locations by foot.

Boston By Foot features many best practices for place-based storytelling, including thorough research to ensure accuracy and tour guides who model knowledgeable and welcoming interactions. In other words, the commitment of Boston By Foot volunteers makes this work possible!

Further Reading
Bassano, C., S. Barile, P. Piciocchi, J. C. Spohrer, F. Iandolo, & R. Fisk. (2019). Storytelling about places: Tourism marketing in the digital age. Cities, 87, 10–20.
Cardon, L. S., & A. Womack. (2022). Experiential learning. In Inclusive college classrooms: Teaching methods for diverse learners, (pp. 161–92). Routledge
Darici, N. (2023) The power of storytelling: Analyzing the significance of stories in communication, education, and cultural preservation. International Journal of Social Sciences & Educational Studies, 10(3), 413–18.
Gibson, M., & d. byrd. (2025). The power of place-based stories: A case study of the MKE Roots digital ecosystem. Journal of Folklore and Education, 12, 24–35.
Heck, E., & M. Tsai. (2022). Sharing therapeutic experiences of place: Co-creative digital storytelling as a way to explore connection to place. Emotion, Space and Society 43, 1–9.
Holmes, A. J. (2023). Walking on location: Mapping places and experiences. In Learning on location: Place-based approaches for diverse learners in higher education, (pp. 61–84). Routledge.
Langran, E., & J. DeWitt. (2020). Navigating place-based learning: Mapping for a better world. Palgrave Macmillan.
Leong, A., S. Yeh, Y. Zhou, C. Hung, & T. Huan. Exploring the influence of historical storytelling on cultural heritage tourists’ value co-creation using tour guide interaction and authentic place as mediators. Tourism Management Perspectives, 50, 1–13.
McClellan, M. (2015). Place-based epistemology: This is your brain on historic sites. History@Work: The NCPH Blog. https://ncph.org/history-at-work/place-based-epistemology/.
Murray, S. “Locative Narrative: Exploring Place-Based Storytelling.” The Routledge Companion to Literary Media, edited by Astrid Ensslin, Julia Round, and Bronwen Thomas, Routledge, 2023, pp. 63–74.
Stefaniak, A., M. Bilewicz, & M. Lewicka. (2017). The merits of teaching local history: Increased place attachment enhances civic engagement and social trust. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 51, 217–25.