As Goldhagen points out: "We cannot recall a memory from our past without revisiting at least some elements of the place where the original event occurred, if not consciously at least non-consciously. What follows is that place-bound experiences constitute the very framework for our sense of self and perceived identity. The built environment constitutes the foundation upon which our past, present and future selves are constructed."
Moreover, the "metaphor-building" process that Goldhagen mentions is a phenomena that has been extensively studied by Environmental Psychologists. It's called place attachment.