In Genius Loci: Towards a Phenomenology of Architecture (1979), the Norwegian theorist Christian Norberg-Schulz applied Heidegger's thought to the analysis of real towns and landscapes. He argued that every place has a distinct character or spirit, the genius loci, arising from its natural setting, built form and the way it is experienced. Through readings of Prague, Khartoum and Rome, he showed how good architecture concretises and reveals the identity of its place. He held that modern building too often destroyed this character by ignoring the meaning of locality.
It gave place identity a theoretical vocabulary that influenced contextual design, conservation and the reaction against placeless modernism. The idea of genius loci became a standard reference for designers seeking to root buildings in the character of their setting.