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Understanding the process of parks’ attachment: Interrelation between place attachment, behavioural tendencies, and the use of public place

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Abstract

Developing cities in the world are facing the threat of rapid urbanization. Creating liveable neighborhood has become a new urban agenda for the coming decades. Public spaces, including neighborhood parks, play a significant role in improving the social life of a community since they are considered the backbone of the urban park systems. However, there are many underutilized parks. In the past, this issue was mainly considered in terms of physical and social attributes. Less attention was directed to the psychological attachment process of park users. This is due to the multifaceted, multidisciplinary, multidimensional, and multi-paradigmatic nature of research on place attachment, which has led to an accumulation of concepts and definitions. To this end, and within the growing influence of environmental psychology on urban design, the immensity and complexity of place attachment literature can be difficult to navigate and time-consuming. This paper reviews various conceptualisations of place attachment and use, the process of attachment towards places, and the behaviour commitment of users towards parks. This analysis provides further insight into the psychological process of park attachment to encourage holistic approach, underpin innovative concepts, deepen reflection on research paradigm, and guide empirical studies. The central message of this paper is that integrating the psychological aspect of place attachment in the place-making process will help transform values of places into a responsive social environment.

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... A study conducted in Iran revealed that citizens' participation in public affairs increased their likelihood of leading a desirable life, thus enhancing place attachment [34]. For city-dwellers, place attachment is precisely expressed in the number of hours spent outdoors, the frequency of conversations with neighbors, and the sharing of ways to improve the local urban environment [35]. The transformation of friendly design to be active and involved in urban parks can cater to this part of demand. ...
... Research has shown that the enhancement of friendly design in parks can lead to a sense of place attachment, and visitors' suggestions and use behaviors, among other factors, can in turn be translated into meaningful and functional environments [35]. This finding is consistent with the results of this study, which revealed an increase in visitors' sense of place attachment after the friendly design within the integrated park was upgraded. ...
... This finding is consistent with the results of this study, which revealed an increase in visitors' sense of place attachment after the friendly design within the integrated park was upgraded. When parks actively incorporate visitors' opinions and enhance their inclusiveness, people's place attachment increases [35], which can enhance urban livability and public satisfaction [61]. This study therefore links friendly design with place attachment to translate place values into positive landscape design. ...
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Comprehensive urban parks should be continuously renewed to sustain their sustainability after being built, as they are vital to residents’ quality of life. However, previous studies have focused on a few special groups rather than all age groups. Therefore, understanding citizens’ needs for integrated friendly park designs can facilitate the sustainable development of parks. This study aimed to gather citizens’ opinions on improvements to friendly designs in parks and explore the impact of friendly designs on place attachment. The questionnaires used in this study were collected from visitors (n = 193) in Xuanwu Lake Park in September 2024, and the data were subsequently analyzed. The study found that enhancing friendly design in urban parks could help to increase visitors’ place attachment. Based on tourists’ feedback, our study proposed improvement strategies in terms of exceptionally and universally friendly design in order to better promote visitors’ place attachment. Enhancing visitors’ sense of place attachment effectively is crucial for policymakers and urban planners to help create all-age-friendly integrated urban parks and to promote sustainable renewal of urban environments.
... A common approach to measure the accessibility of UGSs is to take into account the geographic proximity of these spaces (Logan et al., 2019; WHO Regional Office for Europe, 2016). However, while proximity is an important component of access to UGS, accessibility seems to be considered multi-dimensional (Penchansky & Thomas, 1981;Saurman, 2016), and also take into account for more psychological factors seems to be increasingly recognized (Moulay et al., 2018;Williams et al., 2020). ...
... These settings can be grouped under the notion of urban green spaces (UGSs). Currently, many UGSs remain underutilized (Moulay et al., 2018), which limits their potential positive impact on populations living in the surrounding areas. While much attention has been focused on the physical attributes of UGSs to explain this underutilization, taking into account psychological factors seems equally important (Moulay et al., 2018). ...
... Currently, many UGSs remain underutilized (Moulay et al., 2018), which limits their potential positive impact on populations living in the surrounding areas. While much attention has been focused on the physical attributes of UGSs to explain this underutilization, taking into account psychological factors seems equally important (Moulay et al., 2018). Safety concerns have often been considered as playing a major role in UGS attendance, especially in high-poverty neighborhoods (Cohen et al., 2010Han et al., 2018). ...
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This Ph.D. work provides a comprehensive overview of psychosocial action research conducted within a multidisciplinary urban redevelopment project, aimed at improving the quality of life within the economically and socially precarious downtown area of Seraing (Belgium). Public urban green space (UGS) interventions are recognized as cost-effective public health interventions, yet optimal implementation methods to maximize benefits and minimize side effects remain under-researched. Many UGS interventions focus their investments on the structural aspects of these spaces, neglecting to recognize the impact of more psycho-socio-environmental variables. Following the iterative process inherent to action research, this Ph.D. work examines the relationship between residents and UGSs to better understand how to implement effective UGS interventions in this specific area, while aiming to produce an analysis, based on theory and practice that can be applied to other territories experiencing similar urban challenges. Action research remains a rarely used approach in social and environmental psychology (SEP) and is mostly considered as a heterodox idea. Therefore, this Ph.D. work has also to be seen as an attempt to field-test this approach. While it seems challenging to claim both a high degree of scientific validity and significant field impact, including some experimental methods in the process, makes this approach still appropriate in a project being primarily problem-focused. This pilot project highlights the importance of moving beyond day-to-day urban management solutions, to a long-term perspective. This means taking the time to invest in a proper field analysis, where SEP has his place by allowing a better understanding of the issue before committing public funds to potentially ineffective or even counterproductive interventions.
... Place attachment is regarded as the most critical factor in promoting a sense of community and well-being [9,10]. Place attachment focuses on people's psychological bonds to a place, which is defined as 'the emotional bonds between people and a particular place or environment' [11] (p. 29). Place attachment can influence people's emotional bonds to their neighbourhood, thereby having a very crucial impact on the health and well-being, as well as sustainability of the community [12,13]. ...
... Australia's 'Classification Framework for Public Open Space' asserts that neighbourhood parks provide three types of functional spaces: recreation, sport, and nature, offering various venues and opportunities for residents' recreational and social activities within their communities [28]. However, in past studies, 'less attention was directed to the psychological attachment process of park users' [29] (p. 28). ...
... The interview participants reported several emotions about the public open spaces in their neighbourhood, including happy (e.g., P01, P02, P06), a sense of home, comfortable (e.g., P02, P07, P11), grateful (e.g., P05), enjoyable (e.g., P05, P10), quiet (e.g., P02, P04), feel beautiful (e.g., P01, P03, P08, P09), lovely (e.g., P08, P09) and relaxed (e.g., P05, P12). As one participant stated: [20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39]. ...
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Master-Planned Residential Estate (MPRE) is an integrated housing development form in Australia. MPREs are aimed to build a sense of place attachment and community via the provision of environmental and social infrastructure. Neighbourhood parks are regarded as a significant built environmental factor linked to residents’ place attachment and well-being in the literature. Understanding place attachment is crucial for promoting residents’ well-being in neighbourhoods and enhancing the attractiveness of real estates in the housing market. However, we know little about how place attachment is facilitated for park users in neighbourhoods. The psychological process of place attachment in MPREs is unclear in the literature, with a particular lack of qualitative studies in this area. This study explored the psychological process of place attachment and its associations with neighbourhood parks in MPREs in Sydney via a qualitative case study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 16 residents residing in two selected MPREs in Sydney during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022. Interviews found three themes and several subthemes regarding the process of place attachment for park users in MPREs: affect (emotional bonds), behaviour (place-related fulfilment of needs, place-related social bonds, and community participation), and cognition (membership of the community, place-related memory, and cultural significance). This study contributes to understanding place attachment and human-environment relations in sustainable neighbourhoods by adding new items into place attachment models from the perspective of MPREs in Sydney. It provides valuable qualitative evidence gathered during the COVID-19 pandemic. The findings furnish empirical insights for policymakers, developers, and urban planners involved in sustainable neighbourhoods’ development and housing management in Sydney and global regions.
... In addition to frequency and duration of presence at places, attachment is highly influenced by the meaning or value of places for individuals (Moulay et al., 2018;Sebastien, 2020). This meaning can take different forms depending on aspects of a place that are most valued by the individual. ...
... Socialization places that provide meaningful activities and bring together a defined group of individuals with a shared understanding of place function may provide geographical anchors to the community because they act as shared symbols of place identity and belonging (Milligan, 1998). Because access to socialization places tends to be limited to a subset of the community, and they offer meaningful and unique functions that can provide a shared social experience, these places may be particularly important for establishing connections to places and people in the community (Moulay et al., 2018;Piekut & Valentine, 2017;Rosenbaum et al., 2007;Ujang & Zakariya, 2015). ...
... Notably, the same moderating effect of personalized place function was not evident in large consumption places. This finding partially confirms my hypothesis and resonates with prior research showing that activity, or meaning of a place in a person's life, is an important predictor of place attachment (Arnberger et al., 2022;Cattell et al., 2008;Moulay et al., 2018;Rosenbaum, 2006;Rosenbaum et al., 2007;Sebastien, 2020;Ujang et al., 2018). While I hypothesized that place function would moderate the association between all place types and place attachment, this was not the case with large consumption places. ...
Article
Place attachment at neighborhood places can facilitate social ties and community belonging, reduce social isolation and improve physical and mental health outcomes. Research highlights the benefits of place attachment at traditional third places such as cafes and parks but is yet to examine place attachment across a broader suite of highly frequented neighborhood places. Drawing on survey data from a sample of Australian residents ( N = 892) with a median age of 55−64 years, this study examines the influence of place form and function on place attachment at everyday places. Findings reveal that places where individuals go to participate in specific and unique activities (e.g., exercise at a gym, prayer at a temple) alongside a defined group of other community members, such as places of worship or gyms, engender stronger place attachment than places of economic consumption, such as large shops and cafes. This is important in its capacity to inform neighborhood planning and policies to reduce risk of social isolation.
... The concept of "place attachment" has received considerable attention in environmental psychology and environmental management. Place attachment underpins local, social and environmental development and can be understood as the affective bond that people feel toward their place of residence (Zhang et al., 2014;De Dominicis et al., 2015;Stefaniak et al., 2017;Moulay et al., 2018). Zhang et al. (2014) found that residents who lived in resourcedependent communities demonstrated high place attachment and voluntarily protected local resources and the environment as their own interests were bound up with these resources (p. ...
... Many researchers have emphasized the relationship between the community and local social attachment, along with the importance of natural environments in shaping community attachment (Buta et al., 2014;De Dominicis et al., 2015). Previous research argued that enhancing place attachment increases individuals' motivation to engage in civic and local issues, including through PEB and environmental citizenship behavior (Ramkissoon et al., 2012;Zhang et al., 2014;De Dominicis et al., 2015;Ramkissoon and Mavondo, 2015;Stefaniak et al., 2017;Moulay et al., 2018;Song et al., 2019). Some scholars have held that exposure to a specific place often generates an affective bond that leads to positive environmental actions, thus explaining the relationship between place attachment and PEB (Ramkissoon et al., 2012;Ramkissoon and Mavondo, 2015). ...
... The two subscales of motivation demonstrated high reliability: intrinsic motivation (4 items, a = 0.878), extrinsic motivation (4 items, a = 0.870), with an overall Cronbach's a of 0.849 and fair validity. 2017) and Moulay et al. (2018). Items were rated on a seven-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree, 7 = strongly agree). ...
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Purpose The purpose of this study is to develop and empirically test a model that can predict factors affecting student recycling behavior. The theoretical model was based on motivation, place attachment, environmental concern and interpersonal altruism. Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional study was conducted with college students in Taiwan using self-report questionnaires. Of the 800 distributed questionnaires, 523 were completed (response rate of 65.4%) and were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Partial least squares (PLS) were used to test the models and hypotheses. Findings The results showed that environmental concern, motivation, interpersonal altruism and place attachment have significant positive effects on recycling behavior and motivation and place attachment have significant positive effects on interpersonal altruism. This research contributes to the existing literature by discriminating between two sorts of motivation: intrinsic and extrinsic. Based on these findings, suggestions for future research and practical implications are presented. Originality/value Few studies have linked motivation, interpersonal altruism, environmental concern and place attachment to recycling behavior. Therefore, this study aimed to explore these relationships, specifically as they affect college students’ behavior. This paper anticipates that increased knowledge about recycling behavior could be used to support the wider adoption of recycling practices.
... It generally refers to the emotional connection or relationship that exists between people and particular locations, and the majority of studies see it as a strong and positive aspect [2]. However, it has a multifaceted, multidisciplinary, multidimensional, and multiparadigmatic nature [3]. Even among trained scholars in environmental and social psychology, as well as psychologists and humanistic geographers, terms like "unclear" [4], "definitional diversity" [5], "slow", "stuck", and "little empirical progress" [3] are used to describe research on place attachment. ...
... However, it has a multifaceted, multidisciplinary, multidimensional, and multiparadigmatic nature [3]. Even among trained scholars in environmental and social psychology, as well as psychologists and humanistic geographers, terms like "unclear" [4], "definitional diversity" [5], "slow", "stuck", and "little empirical progress" [3] are used to describe research on place attachment. The most significant challenge for researchers in using the multidimensional concept of place attachment is integrating different viewpoints and approaches [5]. ...
Article
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This study reviewed previous studies on place attachment and related factors in the urban setting. Assessments were conducted on over one hundred peer-reviewed journal papers that met the selection criteria. The results were divided into six categories. Place attachment can improve each of the three dimensions of wellbeing. It can also mitigate the negative impacts of environmental stressors on wellbeing. Furthermore, traditional gardens and local landscape characteristics contribute to a stronger place attachment, depending on the degree to which they present local history and culture. Green landscapes can also help immigrants feel more connected to their community and place of origin. Social interaction has also been linked to the development of place attachment, which is stronger in low-income/deprived neighborhoods. Furthermore, higher place attachment promotes civic engagement and social trust. Place attachment also helps older people cope with aging difficulties in their living environments. Finally, there is a mutually beneficial association between place attachment and perceived neighborhood walkability, as well as a relationship between the scale of the place and the level of attachment. The various research gaps recognized by this study could be addressed in future studies to better understand the role of place attachment in creating sustainable urban environments.
... Much research has been conducted to investigate the relationship between neighborhood characteristics and physical and mental well-being. These studies have primarily focused on neighborhood attachment (e.g., Moulay et al., 2018), social cohesiveness (e.g., Kim & Park, 2021), and access to urban facilities (e.g., Feng & Astell-Burt, 2019;Xiao et al., 2022). To the best of our knowledge, the geographical and urban planning aspects of creating a relaxing and safe environment in various neighborhoods ranging from purely residential to mixed commercial residential have not been thoroughly examined. ...
... These three are associated with distinct, albeit frequently overlapping, mechanistic pathways that influence health (Nieuwenhuijsen et al., 2017). This paper investigates the role of neighborhood safety and greenness as indicators of neighborhood vitality in developing and maintaining healthy behaviors, as it provides opportunities for personal leisure-based physical activities, which may improve health (Moulay et al., 2018). Physical inactivity results from the local socio-ecological determinants and is a subject of discourse in urban planning (Macfarlane et al., 2021;Sentell et al., 2020;Sallis et al., 2012). ...
Article
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Previous research has largely ignored the neighborhood’s vitality in creating a relaxing and safe environment for the prevalence of physical activity. Neighborhood vitality is critical for a healthy urban environment, and outdoor safety can only be ensured by reducing crime and repurposing underutilized spaces. A global regression and two local regressions are used to model the cross-sectional, ecological relationships between physical inactivity and multiple environmental variables in Chicago, United States. Multiscale geographically weighted regression showed the best model fit (R2 = 0.92). According to the findings, the factors influencing physical inactivity in Chicago neighborhoods are crime, green space, and vacant properties. Physical inactivity is rising in neighborhoods with a high share of 17 aged and younger and children living in poverty. Besides that, the relationships between neighborhood covariates and physical inactivity are spatially heterogeneous. Our study advocates for multiscale and multidisciplinary policies and institutions to create comfortable outdoor spaces for controlling and reducing physical inactivity prevalence.
... The video-based mode of vlogs can, thus, influence the advertising value of travel topics through repeated and long interactive narratives that stimulate tourists' imagination and desires regarding destinations. Place attachment is considered a complex phenomenon, involving different aspects of people-place bonding, affects, emotions, knowledge and beliefs (Moulay et al., 2018). In a review of 176 studies within a tourism context, a prevalent notion of place attachment is its conceptualization of place identity and dependence (Dwyer et al., 2019). ...
... Place attachment shows a significant partial mediation effect between advertising value and tourists' intention to visit a destination. In contrast to previous research that focuses on the development of place attachment (Moulay et al., 2018), the present study is particularly interested in the role that place attachment plays in visit intention (considering the advertising value of vlogs). Whereas place attachment is formed by previous interactions (Hosany et al., 2020), vlogs can also establish such "previous" virtual experiences, thus transporting some form of attachment to the destination. ...
Article
Purpose Drawing on Ducoffe’s advertising value model, this study aims to integrate additional constructs (credibility, fantasy and visual appeal) as important antecedents to the perceived advertising value of vlogs. The study also examines the mediating role of place attachment between perceived advertising value and intention to visit a destination. Design/methodology/approach A total of 267 valid online questionnaires were collected among Pakistanis who (regularly, frequently, weekly or at least monthly) watch vlogs of tourist places on social networking sites and YouTube. Findings The empirical results using the partial least squares structural equation modeling approach show that informativeness, entertainment and credibility have significant positive effects, whereas irritation negatively impacts advertising value. The study also supports the positive effect of advertising value on visit intention and the mediating role of place attachment. Originality/value These findings reinforce a paradigm shift in advertising building on personal credibility, experiences and trustworthiness. This study contributes to the line of research that links promotional activities, destination image, tourists’ attitudes, visit intention and behavior.
... Motivations may vary, including self-interest, trust in the system of participation (Booher & Innes, 2002), and individual characteristicssuch as having an outgoing personality. However, place studies that draw from the insights of behavioral psychology particularly highlight the fact that individuals who are highly attached to a place are more likely to engage in civic participation in a responsible, caretaker-like manner (Galster & Hesser, 1982;Lewicka, 2005;Manzo & Perkins, 2006;Moulay et al., 2018;Palmer et al., 2010;Stedman, 2003;Wu et al., 2019;Zenker & Rütter, 2014). The consensus in place attachment research is that it usually takes time to build a strong attachment to places. ...
... A multitude of studies has discovered that strong place attachment can translate into action in the form of civic participationindividual or collective behavior that contributes to a healthier community and society. Some examples include better management of houses (Galster & Hesser, 1982), promoting the use of public parks (Moulay et al., 2018), decreased intention to leave (Zenker & Rütter, 2014), and political or community participation (Lewicka, 2005;Palmer et al., 2010;Wu et al., 2019). ...
Article
Residential stability is the cornerstone of healthy community living, as it creates the context for social interaction and active community participation. In the Republic of Korea, urban projects have recently been requiring civic participation in the process of community development, raising the need for residents' active participation. In response to this trend, this study aims to substantiate the relationships between residential stability and civic participation, focusing on the mediating role of place attachment. This study explores residential stability in two measurements – residential length and homeownership status. Applying a structural equation model, this study first empirically verifies that residents with longer residential lengths tend to be more attached to their environment and community, which leads to greater civic participation. Furthermore, the mediating role of place attachment in linking residential length to civic participation is more prominent for homeowners than renters. Based on the empirical results, this study concludes that housing policies that secure residential stability can effectively reinforce residents' active involvement in community planning and development.
... The most studied are places of residence (Lewicka, 2011a). However, there is a substantial number of other studied places, namely tourist locations (Correia, Oliveira and Pereira, 2014), commercial establishments (Felippe and Kuhnen, 2012), sacred sites, workplaces, sports venues, virtual or imaginary places (Lewicka, 2011a), natural places (Eisenhauer et al., 2000;Moulay et al., 2018), wild sites at risk and places of natural disasters (Manzo and Devine-Wright, 2014), natural places where recreational activities take place (Bricker and Kerstetter, 2002;Gunderson and Watson, 2007;Hufford, 1992;Reineman and Ardoin, 2018;Stedman et al., 2014;Tsaur et al., 2014;Wilkins and Urioste-Stone, 2018), landscapes (Riley, 1992), maritime environments (Wynveen et al., 2012), and public spaces (Mantey, 2015). ...
... Research on place attachment is multifaceted, multidisciplinary, multidimensional, and multiparadigmatic (Moulay et al., 2018), but it remains in a stage of conceptual and theoretical development (Manzo and Devine-Wright, 2014). According to Lewicka (2011a), and Manzo and Devine-Wright (2014), there is still no solid theoretical body to support the great empirical use that has been given to the concept. ...
Article
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The main objective of this article is to understand the relationship that the residents of Fuzeta, a fishing village in southern Portugal, establish with the Ria Formosa Natural Park, through the concept of place attachment. Recent studies on the relationship between individuals and places highlight the importance of this place attachment, but despite its abundant use, it remains in a stage of theoretical underdevelopment. Furthermore, the lack of research on the attachment to Portuguese Natural Parks endowed this research with an exploratory character and led to the need to a new definition of the concept of place attachment and to the construction of a broader analytical model. The attribution and maintenance of meanings and values to the places, implies not only the relationship of people with the physical elements of the territory but also the interactions of individuals with each other, their sharing of history and culture, and other aspects that can either strengthen or weaken people’s attachments to places. We propose in this article a new analytical model that includes, at the same time, the factors that participate in the attribution of meanings and values to places, and also those that participate in the place attachment process whether in a contributory way or in a disruptive way. The empirical study presented in this article adopted a qualitative interpretative methodology through the use of semi-structured in-depth interviews. Thus, 26 Fuzeta residents engaged in leisure or professional activities in the Ria Formosa lagoon were interviewed. The interviewees were workers from several professional activities that use the lagoon - such as fishermen and shellfish catchers, restaurant and hospitality workers, as well as those engaged in leisure activities such as sunbathing, recreational fishing, the catching of shellfish and crustaceans, hiking, boating, windsurfing and camping. The results indicate that the inhabitants of Fuzeta have a very strong and multidimensional attachment to the Ria Formosa that is related to the meanings, emotions, feelings they attribute to it and mainly to the perception of its irreplaceability.
... When referring to a geographic territory belonging to a macro-space, this may be the case of the representation of the Amazon rainforest for some individuals. Places may also be the subject of attachment due to their restorative qualities, regularly attributed to natural environments (Payne, Loi, & Thorsteinsson, 2020), and / or because they are deemed as optimal places for performing certain activities or meeting established goals and needs (Moulay, Ujang, Maulan, & Ismail, 2018). Place attachment likewise contributes to self-continuity; that is, the place represents a connection between a meaningful past and the future for an individual or a group. ...
... The dimension of Dependency to place depends on the indivdual's experience in the Amazon rainforest, knowledge about this environment, and ecological affinity profile. These relationships elucidate the attachment function within this dimension, as individuals and groups may feel bonded to places that provide for their survival needs (Giuliani, 2003) and / or are considered optimal for performing certain activities and achieving their goals and desires (Moulay et al., 2018). Such assumption is confirmed by the association of this dimension with the residents of Manaus. ...
Article
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Abstract This investigation aims to contribute to the understanding of the attachment to the Amazon rainforest and its predictors, considering the dimensions that characterize this extensive environment. Five instruments were administered to 333 individuals of both genders, over the age of 18, from the cities of Ceres and Manaus, evaluating the Ecological affinity profile; Attachment to the Amazon rainforest; Experiences in nature; Knowledge of the Amazon rainforest; and Socioeconomic factors. The results confirm that attachment depends on the length of stay in the place. Data shows that the ecological affinity profile plays an important role in the attachment to a natural environment, suggesting that this relationship is strengthened by understanding the characteristics of this environment and its experiences. Based on the perspective of Environmental Psychology, this study advances knowledge on place attachment predictors and provides important arguments for the development of pro-environmental interventions focused on emotional and experiential aspects.
... Идентичность с местом является многомерным конструктом, охватывающим связи между материальными объектами данного места и личностными смыслами жителей, поэтому многие исследователи считают необходимым сочетание методологий и методов исследования данного явления и помещение его в более широкий социальный контекст (Moulay et al., 2018;Araújo de Azevedo et al., 2013;Nientied et al., 2019). ...
Article
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Introduction. Study of place identity phenomenon, its structure and influence on different aspects of human life is a relevant scientific problem. The goal of our research is to reveal the value bases of urban identity within the framework of the subject approach. Methods. The survey sample consisted of 447 respondents, residents of Krasnodar-city. The toolkit included the Droseltis & Vignoles scale in the author’s translation, the B. Kaigorodsky method in the author's modification, “Personality questionnaire for the individual values study”. Descriptive statistics, analysis of variance, correlation and regression analyses were used to process the data. Results. The research findings showed that the length of residence is an influential factor of place identity: respondents, born and grown up in the conditions of the city under study significantly higher estimate both their deep connection with the city and personal empowerment. In the group of native Krasnodar dwellers, the predictors of the urban identity aspects “Person authenticity in the urban environment” and “Self-actualization in the urban environment” are values of social focus – Conservation and Self-Transcendence, the value basis of the identity parameter “Self-actualization in the urban environment” is value of Openness to change. For respondents who consciously chose Krasnodar as the place of residence, the value of Self-Transcendence was identified as the value basis of the parameter “Authenticity in the urban environment”, at the core of Self-actualization in the urban environment as a factor of place identity, the value of Self-Enhancement was found in this group. For respondents who consider living in the city as temporary, the value predictor of identity with the city is Openness to change, Authenticity in the urban environment is influenced by the value of Conservation extent. Discussion. The results of the study enhance the subject approach, place identity can be considered as a manifestation of personal agency, as a special case of the development of the individual’s existential spaces. The research findings can be used to develop programs aimed at integrating the urban community.
... Our results on reasons for place attachment are consistent with the existing literature, emphasizing the appeal of natural environments [66][67][68] and opportunities for socializing [50,69,70]. This study also contributes new insights into culturally specific place attachments, such as the strong attachment of Chinese participants to Chinatown or Indians to Indian festivals, which highlight the role of cultural landmarks in enhancing place attachment, as supported by [71,72]. ...
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Urban studies research has increasingly focused on placemaking and place attachment in public open places. While several studies have explored how immigrants interact with these places, this study investigates how cultural differences affect immigrants’ place attachment, providing a deeper understanding of inclusive urban design. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 students from India, Iran, China, and Australia, in Southport, a preferred neighborhood for immigrants on the Gold Coast, Australia. NVivo software was used to analyze the data and extract themes. The findings highlighted that, despite universal factors such as natural environments and social opportunities, cultural factors are crucial in shaping individuals’ experiences.
... This interaction fosters social connections, which can strengthen place attachment (Raymond et al., 2010). Additionally, a diverse range of destinations can meet people's varied needs, which may foster functional attachment to the place (Moulay et al., 2018). Population density also showed a positive association with place attachment. ...
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Objectives: Place attachment plays an important role in individuals’ health and well-being. Understanding the associations between urban design attributes and place attachment can inform strategies to promote place attachment. This study aims to examine the associations between walkable built environment metrics and place attachment. Methods: This study used data collected from October to November 2020, involving 25,340 adults across 21 major cities in Japan. Geographic address information was used to measure objective walkability, while perceived walkability and place attachment were assessed using adapted scales. Ordinary least squares regression models were employed to analyse associations. Results: For individual metrics, three objective measures—availability of destinations, population density, and street integration—were positively associated with place attachment. Several perceived measures, including access to shops, daily life facilities, public green spaces, public transports, the presence of paths, crime safety, and aesthetics, also showed positive associations with place attachment. For composite indices, traditional walkability, space syntax walkability, and perceived walkability were positively correlated with place attachment. Conclusions: These findings demonstrate the associations between walkable built environment metrics and place attachment, showing variations in metric type.
... Place attachment has been studied, measured, and operationalized in various ways (e.g., Williams and Vaske 2003;Williams and Patterson 2007;Wynveen et al. 2017). One such model is the tripartite model of place attachment (Scannell and Gifford 2010), which is applied by several researchers working with place attachment theory (Lewicka 2011;Moulay et al. 2018). The tripartite framework proposes three dimensions of place attachment: person, place, and process ( Figure 1). ...
Article
Family forest landowners own 54% of forestland in Georgia. However, most forest landowners are older than 65 years, and it is unclear what will happen to these forests when they can no longer care for their land. We apply the tripartite model of place attachment to assess the roles of person, place, and process dimensions concerning forest land-owners' future bequest intentions. Using data from 1,143 family forest landowners in Georgia, we find that the person dimension is the strongest predictor for wanting to keep the forestland in the family. Being involved in the process of forestland management is also a significant but weaker predictor, while the role of the place itself seems less important. Place attachment dimensions are more robust predictors for bequest intentions than any other control variable. These findings shed new light on bequest intentions and could inform future developments of family forest landownership.
... The smart tour guide system provides smart and convenient services for visitors, such as detailed explanations of tourist attractions, route planning, and travel recommendations (Wang et al., 2016). Second, interactive landscape Moulay et al. (2018) facilities foster engaging interactions between people and landscapes, enhancing site vitality through timely feedback on visitor behavior (Oncioiu & Priescu, 2022). Third, smart fitness facilities provide the necessary infrastructure for visitors' fitness activities (Jamil et al., 2021). ...
Article
The popularity of urban parks with smart facilities is increasing, driven by technological advancements. However , existing research focuses on passive perceptions and lacks comprehensive insights into the dynamic relationships between smart park services and user interaction. To address this gap, this study aims to discuss classification standards for smart service facilities in urban parks, develop a research model to analyze visitor usage patterns, identify factors influencing their continued engagement with smart parks, and rank visitors' recognition of smart service facilities within parks. Using Lianhuashan Park, Shenzhen, as a case study, structural equation modeling was employed to validate visitors' intentions to continue using the smart park. The findings revealed that expectation-confirmation indirectly affects visitors' intentions by mediating variables such as satisfaction, perceived usefulness, ease of use, and privacy. Perceived ease of use emerged as the strongest influence. Among the five categories of smart park service facilities, landscape interactive facilities had the highest correlation with the overall smart technology experience in parks. This study proposes a new theoretical research model, identifies directions for optimizing service quality in smart parks, and addresses the limitations of previous studies that focused on technology while neglecting user experience. Management implications: The management of smart parks involve a variety of disciplines including IoT, big data statistics, ergonomics, remote sensing science, etc. It requires the cooperation of multidisciplinary personnel, which greatly increases the difficulty of facilities management in the smart parks. Moreover, the smart park system is not perfected enough, lacks certain theoretical support, and there are few excellent cases. This research applied the ECM-ISC extended model to the field of smart park research, which will help promote the user-friendly and sustainable development of smart parks and provide visitors with a more comfortable environment and better services. This study suggests that park managers and decision makers should promote the continuance intention of smart parks by increasing visitor satisfaction and increasing investment in landscape interactive facilities.
... These two observations are crucial to understanding why sense of place scores at this location were significantly lower. Firstly, previous literature is nonspecific with respect to how much time is needed to develop sense of place within a particular setting (Jorgensen & Stedman, 2006;Moulay et al., 2018). The paradigm that frames sense of place as an attribute unique to individuals, and thus a psychological trait or state of the individual, asserts that the time variable is significantly involved in the production of sense of place (Menatti et al., 2019;Boley et al., 2021). ...
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One of the under-researched issues in relation to urban restoration of abandonments is the impact they have on society and the well-being of the population. In this research we analyzed five socio-environmental impacts associated with urban regeneration plans. A total of 1265 individuals participated in this study; 621 resided near an unregenerate derelict site and the other 644 were around a site that was formerly abandoned and urbanistically restored. Structural equation models based on invariance analysis and latent mean analysis were used to control for response bias in the social perception of five impacts: place identity, place dependence, run-down perception, unsafe perception, and environmental stress. Counter intuitive results were obtained in relation to the sense of place: the abandoned site had higher levels of place identity and place dependence than the urbanistically regenerated place. The probability that abandoned places had higher levels of sense of place than regenerated places was close to 98 %. Nevertheless, we obtained statistical evidence that urban regeneration promoted reductions in residents' stress levels and improved run-down perception. We discuss the implications of sense of place for re-generation plans and offer new urban planning strategies according to the analyzed impacts.
... Shamai names the sense of place in seven levels indifference, awareness of place, attachment, unification with place goals, participation, a deep commitment to place, and a sense of sacrifice (Moulay et al., 2018). A sense of place increases a person's compatibility and harmony with the environment and consequently increases a person's satisfaction with the various qualities of the environment. ...
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In an urban space, which is a place for social interactions of people, different behavioral patterns emerge considering other cultures and values in society. If urban management policies are not appropriate and conscientious about realizing desirable behaviors in the urban space, the possibility of emerging behaviors that most people prefer will decrease. The current study aims to explain and analyze the variables and factors affecting the normativity of the behavioral patterns of citizens. The current research is applied-fundamental in terms of purpose. Its methodological approach is qualitative, followed by the content analysis method and interpretive structural modeling. According to the obtained results, it can be said that five significant and fundamental factors of social belonging, way of perception and conventional understanding, sense of citizenship, sense of place, mechanical conditions, and quantity of the components of the environment are influential on the normativity of the behavioral patterns of citizenships. Among these factors, the sense of citizenship has the maximum influence, power, and independence. The findings of this paper contribute to urban management so that by applying the normative factors, the social behaviors of citizens be controlled, responsive, and well, and by long-term planning to realize these factors, prevent the emergence of abnormal and undesirable behaviors in the urban space.
... Behavioral geography, drawing on theories of place and human behavior, conduct, and place attachment, provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the intricate relationship between human behavior, religious spaces, and the physical environment (Moulay et al., 2018). By analyzing the spatial organization, sensory stimuli, social interactions, and emotional connections within the Hajj pilgrimage, researchers can uncover the factors that influence pilgrims' behaviors, motivations, and experiences. ...
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This article explores the behavioral geography of the Hajj pilgrimage, focusing on the impact of the physical environment on pilgrims’ behavior. Using qualitative research and analyzing religious literature and online publications, the study reveals significant findings. The spatial arrangement of the Grand Mosque, including the central courtyard and pillars, influences pilgrims’ behavior during the Tawaf ritual. Environmental factors such as crowds and noise affect pilgrims’ experiences, evoking anxiety while enhancing the ceremony’s spiritual significance. Cultural and religious beliefs also shape pilgrims’ behavior during circumambulation. This study provides valuable insights into the multifaceted factors shaping pilgrims’ behavior during the Hajj, including spatial organization, cultural influences, and social interactions. The findings can inform improvements in infrastructure, crowd management, and services to enhance the overall pilgrimage experience.
... Behavioral geography, drawing on theories of place and human behavior, conduct, and place attachment, provides a comprehensive framework for understanding the intricate relationship between human behavior, religious spaces, and the physical environment (Moulay et al., 2018). By analyzing the spatial organization, sensory stimuli, social interactions, and emotional connections within the Hajj pilgrimage, researchers can uncover the factors that influence pilgrims' behaviors, motivations, and experiences. ...
Preprint
Full-text available
This article explores the behavioral geography of the Hajj pilgrimage, focusing on the impact of the physical environment on pilgrims' behavior. Using qualitative research and analyzing religious literature and online publications, the study reveals significant findings. The spatial arrangement of the Grand Mosque, including the central courtyard and pillars, influences pilgrims' behavior during the Tawaf ritual. Environmental factors such as crowds and noise affect pilgrims' experiences, evoking anxiety while enhancing the ceremony's spiritual significance. Cultural and religious beliefs also shape pilgrims' behavior during the circumambulation. This study provides valuable insights into the multifaceted factors shaping pilgrims' behavior during the Hajj, including spatial organization, cultural influences, and social interactions. The findings can inform improvements in infrastructure, crowd management, and services to enhance the overall pilgrimage experience.
... Furthermore, "process" refers to the cognitive, affective, and conative roles experienced by tourists when they are in the place visited so that an attachment is created. Moulay et al (2018) reveal that there are three dimensions of place attachment: place identity and dependence, social bonding, and nature bonding. Accordingly, two dimensions of place attachment felt by a tourist will be connected. ...
Article
Volcano tourism has witnessed several developments in the last decade. It seems that the literature on such tourism type is still very scant. Therefore, this study measures factors that affect tourists’ intentions to revisit a volcano tourism destination by employing perceived value, destination image, and place attachment as predictor variables. The research was conducted at Kawah Putih (White Crater) in the Province of West Java, 100 km from Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia. Participants were selected using a convenient sampling technique, yielding a sample of 250 people. The data were analysed using exploratory factor analysis and structural equation modelling. The results indicate that destination image, perceived value, and place attachment significantly affect revisit intentions. Further, destination image influences perceived value and place attachment, and perceived value influences place attachment, in particular, and geotourism in general in Indonesia.
... However, whilst some articles framed placemaking as a design process, others considered it a relational process. For instance, Moulay et al. (2018), Sancar and Severcan (2010), Thwaites and Simkins (2005), Pancholi, Yigitcanlar, and Guaralda (2015), Newman (2016), Sun et al. (2020), and Khosravi, Bahrainy, and Tehrani (2020) framed placemaking as an urban design process where the built environment can ultimately create relational outcomes, where the physical product integrates the social context of a given place and reinforces place identity. ...
Article
Placemaking is a fluid term with various conceptualisations, but individuals’ understanding of the term may shape the impact of placemaking projects. This paper aimed to identify conceptualisations of placemaking from two perspectives, theory and practice in the Australian context, and develop an analytical framework for categorising placemaking understandings. Through a systematic literature review (SLR) of 77 articles, a set of four placemaking themes was developed. These themes were expanded through the coding of placemaking definitions from 26 Australian placemaking practitioners gathered through a survey, thus creating a Placemaking Understanding Framework (PUF). The PUF highlighted gaps and overlaps amongst academics and Australian practitioners, showcasing how academia tends to frame placemaking as a process producing relational outcomes (like place attachment, sense of belonging, and connection to nature), whereas Australian practitioners focused on both the relational and physical outcomes of placemaking. By illustrating the breadth of perspectives in placemaking, this study builds on the academia-industry nexus for future placemaking strategies.
... For a luxury heritage hotel like RS to enjoy continuity and remain an indelible part of place making, its form, sense making, and destination linkages must be strong. In addition, adding the psychological aspect of place attachment to the place making process could help add value to heritage hotels (Moulay et al., 2018). The power and location of the property facilitate place attachment. ...
Article
The position of heritage hotels in place making narratives is not secure, given the challenges of new local developments and larger international forces. This research examines Singapore’s iconic luxury heritage hotel, Raffles Singapore, against the relatively new hotels, The Fullerton Hotel Singapore and Marina Bay Sands, to identify the nexus between the island city-state’s historical and contemporary position in the changing hospitality landscape, specifically addressing the concept of place making as a dynamic narrative. Applying sentiment analysis, 454 hotel guest reviews on internationally recognized travel websites were examined. The findings suggest that the dominance of a luxury heritage hotel in the narratives of place making can shift over time, subject to postmodern architectural developments in the hotel landscape and competition from other luxury heritage hotels with iconic and location histories. A key contribution to the hospitality discipline is the measurement of a luxury heritage hotel’s staying power through continuous place making amid glocal challenges. The significance of the findings should alert hospitality practitioners specializing in marketing to potential shifts arising from continuing new competitive narratives in place making.
... Place attachment has been conceptualized as a prominently affective bond that an individual establishes with a meaningful place (Giuliani, 2003;Low & Altman, 1992). Places which have been investigated as sources of attachment patterns are diverse, including the residential environment (at different scale levels, e.g., city: Hidalgo & Hernandez, 2001;Maricchiolo et al., 2021;or neighborhood: Brown et al., 2003;Fornara et al., 2019), natural settings (López-Mosquera & Sánchez, 2013; Moulay et al., 2018), agricultural settings (Mullendore et al., 2015), and coastal areas (Lee & Oh, 2018), whereas workplaces have been scarcely considered (Scrima et al., 2021). About behaviors supposed to be related to place attachment, an array of them has been studied, including pro-environmental behaviors (Scannell & Gifford, 2010), citizenship behaviors (Zenker & Rütter, 2014), geographical mobility (Gustafson, 2001), walkability (Ferreira et al., 2016), space appropriation , and recreational behaviors (Smith et al., 2010). ...
Article
Though place attachment has been widely studied for a variety of settings, little attention has been devoted to place attachment in the workplace, particularly in healthcare environments. The objective of this research is to test the relationship between Secure workplace attachment and work engagement through the mediating effect of the work environment, in both spatial-physical and social-relational terms. A self-report questionnaire was completed by 150 health personnel of different hospitals. Results show that a more Secure workplace attachment is associated with a higher level of work engagement, and such relationship is mediated positively by the perception of environmental comfort and negatively by the feeling of having difficult relationships with patients. These findings suggest the importance of addressing health workers’ place attachment in the hospital setting, with specific reference to the physical and social environment in which the healthcare is delivered, in order to increase their positive involvement toward their job activity.
... contrast [68] [71] ; 3) memorable symbols [66][67][72]~ [74] ; 4) vitality [70][71] ; 5) thermal comfort [65][69] [75] ; 6) pleasant smells [76] ; and 7) soundscape accordance [77]~ [79] . We rated these characteristics using a fivepoint Likert scale. ...
Article
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Knowledge workers drive social and economic development in contemporary cities but often exhibit poor psychological and physical health because of sedentary work, long-term and intense mental labor, and high-level occupational competition. Thus, providing high-quality restorative green spaces in knowledge workers’ proximity to promote their health and well-being has become an important and pressing need. Although the multiple health benefits of proximity to green spaces have been highlighted, the existing planning and design practices are not well supported by scientific theories and evidence. This study interprets the health benefits of proximity to green spaces in work environments considering four theoretical mechanisms: stress reduction, attention restoration and landscape preference, physical activity promotion, and sensory enrichment through an integrative literature review. Next, the paper identifies the key environmental characteristics of green spaces that can enhance the health and well-being of knowledge workers. In addition, it develops a set of criteria for evaluating the restorative capacity of existing sites and a set of guidelines to design restorative nearby green spaces, and proposes a simple paradigm to connect interdisciplinary research and practice.
... Although various theories exist that explore such relations (e.g., sense of place, place affinity, place-rootedness, etc.), the theory of place attachment (hereinafter PA) has been widely used in the contemporary academic literature as a structural measure of the people-place relationship (Basu et al., 2020;Dasgupta et al., 2022;Raymond et al., 2010). PA is a multi-dimensional construct and researchers claim various underlying foundations of the human-place relationship, known as the place dimensions (Basu et al., 2020;Cheung & Hui, 2018;Dasgupta et al., 2022;Kyle et al., 2005;Moulay et al., 2018). The earliest PA model consisted of two fundamental place dimensions, namely, place dependence and place identity. ...
Article
Place attachment and ecocentric attitude are the important determinants of conservation behaviour, especially for traditionally managed landscapes. In this paper, we explore the relationship between place attachment and the ecocentric attitude of farmers engaged in Jhum cultivation (aka shifting/slash and burn cultivation) in the Zunheboto district of Nagaland, India. We administered a questionnaire survey (n=153) based on a widely used four‐dimensional place attachment framework and a well‐known cognitive scale for measuring ecocentric attitude. The results indicate that Jhum farmers’ modest ecocentric attitude is significantly associated with their place attachment, especially with place identity and place dependence, although their behaviour of organized deforestation is in apparent contradiction. While an ecocentric attitude generally contributes to environmentally responsible behaviour, we argue that, for Jhum farmers, the absence of such a causal relationship is influenced by other rationalities, particularly owing to the lack of alternative livelihood opportunities. The findings of this study establish the inherent positive ecocentric attitude of Jhum farmers who are often held responsible for deforestation and environmental degradation. Furthermore, we argue that such an inherent positive ecocentric attitude and a strong place attachment are imperative to implement place‐based models for sustainable mountain agriculture. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
... With the facilities in the villages, spots for spontaneous encounters between villagers are also disappearing. Furthermore, as we know from previous research, these spontaneous encounters, in addition to the organized encounters, are very important for promoting place attachment and public familiarity [61][62][63]. Fortunately, new housing and care concepts for older adults, designed for active ageing in rural regions, combine residential functions with social functions and health and welfare services [22]. In this regard, much attention has recently been paid to green care farms, especially in rural areas [64][65][66]. ...
Article
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This article aims to contribute to the existing literature about liveability in rural areas by explicitly focusing on the level of residential satisfaction of older adults (55+) in four small Dutch villages. We strive not only to identify the key indicators of residential satisfaction among older villagers but also to better understand how these indicators affect their (daily) life. Moreover, in line with the person–environment fit tradition, we differentiate according to the capabilities and vulnerabilities of older villagers. To this end, we use a mixed-method approach, in which we combine survey data with qualitative data collected with photovoice in the four villages. The findings indicate that older adults’ perceptions of spatial, social and functional aspects of the living environment are related to the degree of residential satisfaction overall. However, these perceptions appear to be strongly intertwined, especially perceptions about spatial characteristics, local identity and connectedness. Older adults who are hindered by health problems in undertaking daily activities experience a lower level of person–environment fit, which is reflected in a lower level of residential satisfaction. However, this relationship between subjective health and residential satisfaction can only be partially explained by different perceptions of the spatial, social and functional environment.
... It consists of cognitive and emotional development and is formed after a person has been in a particular area for a long period of time [27][28][29]. Many studies have shown that place attachment has a positive impact on farmers' willingness and behavior to participate in community, that is, as a potential influencing factor, place attachment can effectively improve farmers' willingness and behavior to participate in community [30]. When people become attached to places, they are more likely to exhibit more environmentally friendly behaviors in their daily lives [31,32]. ...
Article
Traditional community disaster prevention and mitigation relies on the top-down management mode led by the government and ignores the important role played by the participation of peasant households and communities in grass-roots disaster risk management. Based on the sampling survey data of 327 households in the disaster threatened area, An ordered multi-classification logistic regression model was constructed to explore the relationship between farmers' place attachment, community trust and community participation (CP), and further test the mediating effect of community trust on the relationship between place attachment and CP. The results showed that:(1) the self-score of farmers' CP behavior was in the middle level. place attachment was relatively high, with the mean scores of place identity and place dependence being 4.15 and 4.17 respectively. Farmers' community trust is at a high level, among which organizational trust score is the highest with an average of 4.37, and emotional trust score is the lowest with an average of 3.97. (2) Both farmers' local attachment and community trust are positively correlated with their social participation, and community trust has a partial mediating effect between Place attachment and community participation. This study analyzes the correlation between local attachment, community trust and community participation in disaster threatened areas, which can provide support for the construction of community resilience disaster prevention system and improve the comprehensive ability of communities to resist and reduce disaster loss.
... Moreover, studies concerning urban greenways in China have mainly focused on introducing the planning and construction of Western greenways, the ecological benefits of greenways, and the patterns and factors of urban greenway use [21], while attaching less importance to public perception. In particular, the process of place attachment, which influences people's emotions, meanings, and behaviours has been largely ignored [22]. ...
Article
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Studies have indicated that urban greenways promote physical and perceived restoration. However, there is a lack of research on the impact of treetop trails on human perceived restoration. In this study, two representative treetop trails in Fuzhou city were selected to investigate treetop trails’ impact on users’ perceived restoration. The study adopted a structural equation modelling approach to explore the influence mechanisms and pathways of treetop trails on users’ perceived restoration, through 412 questionnaires. The results showed that the perceived environmental quality of treetop trails had a significant positive effect on users’ overall psychological wellbeing. Place attachment had a significant positive effect on users’ perceived restoration and a significant mediating effect on users’ perceived environmental quality of trails. The results of this study revealed that the mechanisms of the impact of treetop trails on users’ perceived restoration and the construction of treetop trails can be enhanced in the future by improving trail facilities, enriching trail perception of elevated feeling, improving trail landscape quality, and optimising trail design.
... Embedded in attachment to places are individual and cultural connections to landscapes, like our natural environment (Ganzevoort & van den Born, 2019; Ujang & Zakariya, 2015). Correspondingly, community vibrancy is necessarily linked to a community's natural environment, and the quality of and access to these natural environments can directly impact community vibrancy efforts and outcomes (Moulay et al., 2018;Ujang & Zakariya, 2015). Outdoor recreation is a vehicle for connecting people to each other (social bonds) and geographically (place bonds) (Lee, 2011;Raymond et al., 2010;Ujang & Zakariya, 2015). ...
Article
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This paper explores opportunities for outdoor recreation and education programs to support communities working to sustain or increase community vibrancy. Vibrancy is necessarily linked to our natural environment and the quality of and access to natural environments can impact community vibrancy outcomes. Outdoor recreation access and experiences support relationships with place via natural assets. A community’s natural assets and associated recreation, ecosystem services, economic, and broader wellbeing benefits collectively serve to elevate community vibrancy. Nature-based Placemaking (NBP) is an emerging community development framework that builds on a community’s natural assets to bolster community vibrancy. NBP could serve as a roadmap for nature-based community vibrancy efforts, providing direction and considerations for navigating vibrancy related challenges and opportunities. This work provides an NBP overview, outlines embedded concepts that informed development of the framework, explores its initial application, and poses questions and pathways for expanding and refining the NBP framework for broader applicability.
... The contemporary scientific disclosures on place literature span over more than three decades of theoretical and empirical research, and in general, PA has been defined as a positive emotional bonding, which binds people to a particular place. Most researchers agree on PA as a broad and multidimensional construct, although the exact number of dimensions are contested over several theoretical foundations (Basu et al., 2019;Cheung et al., 2018;Kyle et al., 2005;Moulay et al., 2018;Ramkissoon et al., 2013;Saito et al., 2021;Scannell and Gifford, 2010). Earlier place research indicated a rudimentary two-dimensional PA model, consisting of place dependence (functional construct) and place identity (an emotional construct) (Budruk et al., 2009;Kyle et al., 2004;Mandal, 2016;Raymond et al., 2010;Williams and Roggenbuck, 1989;Williams and Vaske, 2003). ...
Article
Although many researchers highlight the benefits of Urban Green Spaces (UGS) to city dwellers, understanding of residents’ emotional association with UGS remains an incomplete and exciting area of place research. In this study, we conducted an empirical assessment of residents’ Place Attachment (PA) towards UGS in the Greater Tokyo region. For this, we tested a widely used PA model consisting of four dimensions, namely, place identity, place dependence, social, and nature bonding. Data were collected from an online questionnaire survey (n = 2093) and subjected to an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) to examine the underlying place dimensions. To examine the association of PA with socio-demographic variables, we performed the multiple regression analysis with the factor scores and key socio-economic variables (e.g. age, gender, income, marital and parental status, etc.). Additionally, we compared the PA constructs among three different groups, namely (1) men and women, (2) married and unmarried, and (3) people with and without children. Results indicated a three-dimensional PA model, consisting of ‘place identity’, ‘place and nature dependence’, and ‘social bonding’. In particular, variables originally used for nature bonding co-loaded with the variables for place dependence. The other tested dimensions, nonetheless, remained identical with conventional PA models. The finding indicates that personal connections to nature - as hypothesized in the nature-bonding dimension - may not be truly replicable for UGS. As such, the influence of demographic variables on the overall place-construct remains minimal, although a significant but relatively weak positive influence was observed for age and frequency of green space visits. In the comparative analysis, women reported a significantly higher-level place and nature dependence. Besides, a significant difference of mean was observed among married and unmarried respondents, as well as the persons with/without children for all three-place dimensions. Overall, the findings are imperative to better understand the human-green space relationship in large cities and calls for further directed research on creating ‘green places’ and not just ‘green spaces’.
... The three factors, participation, sustainability, and quality, associated with the positive psychological impact of urban interventions for vulnerable groups, support the argument within the GAPS framework [23] that designing urban spaces which promote activity, social empowerment, contact with nature and sense of safety, may be beneficial for different sociodemographic groups. More broadly, our findings support the pivotal role of "place-making" and its psychological dimensions for transformative people-centred urban planning [60,61], as well as the need to develop an interdisciplinary and holistic approach to urban transformations [13,62], in order to cater for both physical and mental wellbeing in a sustainable way [4], especially for the most vulnerable individuals from a socioeconomic and gender dimension. ...
Article
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Urban planning and design can impact mental health, but it is unclear how ever-growing and changing cities can sustain the psychological wellbeing of vulnerable groups, who are among the most mentally sensitive to spatial inequalities. This systematic review synthesised quantitative and qualitative studies on urban design interventions and their impact on wellbeing in vulnerable groups. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, we searched five online databases from inception to May 2020. A total of 10 papers were included. We found mixed evidence of benefits for wellbeing linked to urban regeneration projects or focused interventions (green spaces, transport, security). Interventions that were centred around participation, sustainable living, and quality of design (e.g., perceived sense of safety) were associated with increased residential satisfaction and wellbeing, particularly among low-income communities and women. Risk of bias was low to medium, but there was high methodological heterogeneity; studies were mainly from Western countries, and none of the included studies investigated the experiences of people with disabilities, migrants, or racial minorities. This review highlights the importance of inclusive and sustainable design interventions to create happy places for all strata of society, although further investigation is warranted
... Besides, even though most of the findings benefit the urban designers in making the parks and public spaces more visually and physically functional (Moulay and Ujang, 2016;Schultz et al., 2014;Kazmierczak, 2013;Cohen et al., 2012), but the impacts of these qualities on the users' psychological sense and wellbeing, in terms of functional, cognitive, and emotional attachment, has not been adequately explored (Moulay et al., 2018;Manzo and Devine-Wright, 2014). Hence, the present study attempts to approach the under-utilised issue of parks within an apparent comfortable physical and social environment to emphasise the functional attachment towards the parks, referred to as 'place dependence' (Moore and Scott, 2003). ...
Article
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Despite neighbourhood parks meet residents’ social needs, provide visual enjoyment, and create passive and active recreational opportunities, most of them are underutilised. To understand this issue, research focused on the social and physical aspects of parks using mainly quantitative methods. Few explored the psychological aspect in terms of motivation and dependence. Hence, this qualitative research aims to provide a more in-depth understanding of resident’s functional needs that foster their dependence towards neighbourhood parks. The study involved purposively 29 park users living in the neighbourhood of Precinct 9, Putrajaya, Malaysia. In-depth semi-structured interviews were used then verbatim transcribed. Based on the interpretative phenomenological analysis approach, results revealed that the contextual dimensions and the incentives for park utilisation constitute the major themes, where gathering outdoors, physical activity, emotional, functional, and environmental motivation variables are the sub-themes. The practical and theoretical implications are outlined regarding park users’ expectations and experiences for enhanced park utilization.
... Besides, even though most of the findings benefit the urban designers in making the parks and public spaces more visually and physically functional (Moulay and Ujang, 2016;Schultz et al., 2014;Kazmierczak, 2013;Cohen et al., 2012), but the impacts of these qualities on the users' psychological sense and wellbeing, in terms of functional, cognitive, and emotional attachment, has not been adequately explored (Moulay et al., 2018;Manzo and Devine-Wright, 2014). Hence, the present study attempts to approach the under-utilised issue of parks within an apparent comfortable physical and social environment to emphasise the functional attachment towards the parks, referred to as 'place dependence' (Moore and Scott, 2003). ...
... Urban public space improved the life quality of the citizens [1]. One of urban public spaces is in the form of a playground. ...
Article
As part of urban public space, playgrounds are a children's play space that can improve children's sensory, communication, and physical abilities. Playgrounds must be able to create comfort and education for children to engage with nature. One of the approaches to achieve is by the vegetated setting. Tembalang is a sub-district in Semarang, with children dominating 44% of the total population. Therefore, the playground's effectiveness in Tembalang was assessed based on comfort nature and connection with nature. Nine playgrounds are the object of this research. This study is aimed to determine the effectiveness level of the playground in Tembalang using the vegetated-setting approach. The research used a quantitative approach with Guttman-Scale scoring. This study's output assesses the level of effectiveness of the vegetated-setting playground through two aspects. The first aspect, comfort nature, which included in the effective level (71%) in the form of vegetation, protects children from heat and rain while playing, vegetation that provides shelter when children relax or gather under trees, vegetation can cause cold air and the condition of the grass field. It is comfortable to use and is not slippery. In comparison, the second aspect, the connection with nature, is included in the effective level (50%) in the form of plucked vegetation such as fruit or flowers, vegetation that can climb to train the child physically, vegetation that can bring animals to live in, such as birds or butterflies, and grass fields that children can use for running and physical activity.
Article
Background and objective: This study explores the effects of customized plant education on the sustainable living capacity of elderly residents in public rental housing. The housing in this study is the planned elderly residence with a community rooftop garden as the main community place, and the education program was developed based on the garden.Methods: Ten residents participated in the education, and the effects were measured through pre- and post-interviews. The site and elder residents’ specific 2 hours education program was developed and conducted once a week for a month.Results: The recognition of plants improved, which led to an increase in interest in plants and garden. Moreover, the education enhanced social exchanges among residents and promoted the willingness to participation in garden activities.Conclusion: These results suggested that the plant education can enhance residents' attachment to the garden, as well as their cognitive, emotional, and social capacities, thereby enabling them to live in the community housing longer.
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This study highlights the importance of social sustainability in the context of urban parks and evaluates its performance using a specific case study. It proposes a comprehensive measurement scale focused on eight dimensions: identity, sense of place, social cohesion, security and safety, equity, facilities, comfort, and accessibility, applied to Alaeddin Hill Park in Konya, Türkiye. Using a quantitative research approach and data collected from 120 participants, this study investigates these dimensions to understand their impact on the park’s social sustainability. The findings of this study reveal that, while Alaeddin Hill Park is highly valued for its identity, facilities, and social cohesion, it requires significant improvements in areas such as security and safety, sense of place, and comfort. Another finding indicates that lower-income respondents report higher levels of comfort and a stronger sense of identification with the park. This study offers practical recommendations for urban park design to improve user satisfaction and social sustainability.
Article
Urban nature is increasingly acknowledged as being one of the suppliers of citizen health and well-being. However, currently, many publicly accessible green spaces (GS) remain underused. The present study (N = 232) examines the impact psychological ownership (PO) can have on GS attendance intention and attendance behavior (GS loyalty) while controlling for place attachment (PA). Contrary to previous research, PA showed no significant impact on GS loyalty, but an increase in PO was significantly and positively related to both intentional and behavioral loyalty. If PA is one of the most studied attitudinal factors in place loyalty research, results suggest that people's sense of PO has a potentially more interesting role to play when trying to enhance GS attendance, although PA should probably not be overlooked to move an individual from intention to action.
Article
Drawing on empirical data from a regional Australian city, this paper investigates how public space is implicated in locational disadvantage, how COVID-19 is impacting inequality, and how placemaking can best serve “disadvantaged” communities. To explore public space’s role during COVID-19, we assessed public open space coverage in three “disadvantaged” Geelong suburbs, interviewed local community workers, and analysed survey data from resident input to a local placemaking project. Findings revealed both quantitative and qualitative shortfalls in local public spaces; that COVID-19 amplified existing inequalities; that public space shortfalls compounded pandemic stressors; and that these shortfalls should be remedied via community-driven placemaking. Findings also yielded common themes linking place stigma, inequality, and place attachment, and underscoring how placemaking can reinforce or challenge existing disparities. We developed a holistic Framework illustrating the dynamic interplay of five important factors that emerged across our data: locational disadvantage, public space, place stigma, place attachment, and placemaking. Illuminating how place-makers might harness these dynamics to advance social goods and minimise social harms, our Framework seeks to support more “spatially just” placemaking. Amidst rising inequality, we argue that a renewed focus on the spatial dimensions of justice will strengthen placemaking’s potential to mitigate the locational aspects of disadvantage. KEYWORDS: Public space, locational disadvantage, place stigma, place attachment, placemaking, spatial justice
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Alongside formality, recreation and fostering integration are the two main features that contribute to the attractiveness of urban public space. The aim of this study is to investigate specific types of recreation activity in the most formal squares in Szczecin. In addition, this research analysed the age of users and whether recreation activity involved groups or individual users. The research covered six squares located in the core city centre and at the same time at on the main urban axes. The study is based on multiple direct observations method, as well as historical, iconographic, and field studies. Differences were observed both in the saturation and diversity of activity types in individual squares, as well as in the age of users and the way people congregate. According to the results of the study, both the location of the square and the links to public realm, as well as the elements of its equipment, are factors that influence the sociability and types of recreational activities practiced in the public space.
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Public space serves as opportunities for everyday engagement including cultural activities and social interactions. The co-presence of diverse groups and activities is seen as an important building block of social cohesion. This review synthesised the empirical evidence to understand the relationship between public space and social cohesion. Databases searched included Scopus, Web of Science, and PubMed with the inclusion of peer reviewed articles published in English, between 2000 and 2023 (till 22nd February 2023). A total of 63 published studies were identified. A variety of physical aspects of different public spaces was found to potentially encourage social interaction and cohesion, i.e., accessibility, mixed land use, presence of street furniture, etc. Furthermore, such impact was found to be affected by a range of sociodemographic factors, for example ethnicity, age, and length of residence, and perceptual factors such as safety perception, visual perceptions, and place attachment. Overall, research exploring the relationship between public space and social cohesion has occurred within disciplinary silos, posing a significant challenge in conceptualising this relationship. The recognition of these findings bridges the research effort in understanding the social mechanism between people and space across research agendas including urban design and planning, sociology, environmental psychology, public health, and human geography. We describe future work in studying the intangible aspects of urban space in the directions of assessing the social performance of public space and devising interventions to promote social interaction and foster social cohesion.
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Attachment to a specific place shows the significance and importance of that place for citizens and has positive consequences. Belonging causes citizens to be concerned about improving the condition of their neighborhood or place of residence, which becomes the basis for the formation of neighborhood activities and citizens' participation. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of citizens' attachment on their participation. In this regard, in order to collect research data, 384 questionnaires were distributed and completed among the residents of the Shahidan neighborhood located in District 9 of Tehran Municipality. SPSS and Smart PLS3 software were used to analyze the obtained data. According to the findings of the research, the indexes of "Citizens' attachment to the neighborhood" and "Citizens' participation" have an average of 3.08 and 3.03 respectively, which shows the favorable status of both of these indicators in this neighborhood. Moreover, the residents of this neighborhood have a high desire to interact with their neighbors, and on the other hand, they have the lowest desire to participate in financial affairs in their neighborhood. Additionally, paying attention to the modeling results, the index of citizens' attachment to their neighborhood has succeeded in predicting 38.1% of the citizens' participation index, which means that there is a direct relationship between the attachment of the people of this neighborhood and their participation in their urban and local affairs. In other words, citizens' participation and civil participation are a function of citizens' attachment, and it is possible to increase the amount of this participation by increasing citizens' attachment to their place of residence.
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O conceito de Identidade Social Urbana busca compreender o modo as pessoas se identificam e se apropriam, constroem afetos e memórias associadas aos lugares que percorrem. Esta pesquisa almejou refletir sobre este processo transcorrendo as simbologias da inclusão de moradores de Serviços Residenciais Terapêuticos nas cidades que habitam, a fim de compreender como eles constituem suas identificações. Quatorze participantes responderam à técnica de Autobiografia ambiental aliada a uma entrevista semiestruturada, analisadas à luz da Análise Temática. Fatores culturais das cidades foram ímpares, mediando a aproximação dos participantes com o entorno urbano. Por fim, destaca-se a logística como escolha essencial à estruturação do Serviço, na medida que favorece ou retrai incursões autônomas nas cidades.
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Citizen communication creates the foundation for sustainable development by adopting the notions of social life, space and human behavior. Furthermore, the perceptions of the cultural landscape, and the social sustainability of the neighborhoods are assessed through the participation of the citizens. As such, to gain a more in-depth understanding of the issues, the passage of the Fil Bazaar in Eshagh Beig neighborhood and Haj Zainal passage in Sang-e Siah neighborhood in the historical context of Shiraz has been selected. This research used a mixed-methodology. Due to necessity, using the questionnaire method and the Likert scale, with the help of architectural and urban planning specialists, a survey was conducted. Lastly, the collected data were analyzed using MAXQDA-software and using the Halprin-cycle, criteria were analyzed and assessed. With the aid of the Halprin-cycle, it is established that factors, correlation, Communication, and social life will impact the social stability.
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Public open spaces (POSs) provide a forum for social gathering, health, leisure, and recreation opportunities for city dwellers. POSs are considered one of the city’s essential components that connect city dwellers to nature and improve their quality of life. India, a developing country, is rapidly urbanising. Indian cities are emerging with diverse and well-developed societies. These societies are looking for POSs that are not only inclusive, vibrant, functional, and sustainable, but also capable of providing people with social, economic, and environment benefits. It is therefore essential to evaluate existing POSs at the city, neighbourhood, and site scales using a modern approach. The evaluation aids in identifying the POSs’ strengths and weaknesses, which influence their character and use. This study evaluates city POSs using the ‘Lively planning integrative perspective’ (LPIP), which includes seven aspects: Livability, Sustainability, Successful spaces, Place-making, New Urbanism, Green planning intervention, and Public realm. The study also proposes the ‘Lively planning integrative perspective index’ (LPIPI) for evaluation. The study evaluates two POSs, i.e. parks, which located in the city of Nagpur. Both POSs provide free access to users. A mixed methods approach is used for data collection and includes tools such as self-administered questionnaire surveys, semi-structured interviews, and observation. A total of 747 respondents from both spaces participated in the main survey. The study’s results revealed that POSs have some functional and aesthetic strengths that support LPIP, but also have some weaknesses that limit their use. The study offers recommendations to assist planners and designers in making better decisions and developing inclusive POSs for city dwellers.
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O place attachment tem sido abordado nos estudos do marketing turístico como dimensão significativa da construção da identidade e da imagem de marcas turísticas, sejam elas dos destinos ou de atrativos e atividades associadas como é o caso dos eventos. Neste contexto, o presente estudo analisa as dimensões de place attachment no processo de construção da identidade de marca turística da Festa de Sant’Ana, na cidade de Caicó, Rio Grande do Norte, Brasil. A festa acontece há 270 anos e é considerada patrimônio cultural imaterial pelo Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (IPHAN, Brasil). Tem-se como base teórica norteadora o modelo tripartido de Scannell & Gifford (2010) - Tripartite Model - que auxilia a compreensão do apego ao lugar por meio dos componentes: Person, Process, Place (PPP). Trata-se de um estudo de abordagem qualitativa, descritivo-exploratória, no qual foram realizadas realizado entrevistas em profundidade com os stakeholders envolvidos na organização do evento. Os resultados revelam as dimensões de place attachment quanto aos processos comportamentais e afetivos, as relações sociais, os grupos culturais, as relações individuais e o composto de marca do evento, bem como suas contribuições para a caracterização da marca turística da Festa de Sant’Ana. Conclui-se que as dimensões da fé e de vínculos de apego ao lugar são as variáveis mais significativas na identidade de marca da festa de Sant’Ana. Construir e fortalecer estes elementos de marca sinalizarão um relevante posicionamento estratégico para a localidade.
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Despite increasing interest in the human dimensions of green buildings, connections between green building design and place attachment have received little attention in the theoretical or empirical research. Place attachment is a well-established psychological theory with relevance to environments of varying form and function and could inform green building theory and practice. We therefore review relevant literature to explore the potential for place attachment to develop in, or interact with, occupants’ experiences of buildings designed with sustainability in mind. Specifically, we examine possible interrelations between green building design strategies and psychological processes of place attachment (i.e., affect, identity, and dependence) in non-residential buildings. We additionally consider the influential role of personal and cultural factors. In the process of making these theoretical connections, four key green design strategies emerged as most salient to supporting place attachment: 1) biophilic design and opportunities for connection to nature, 2) visible environmentalism, 3) opportunities for pro-environmental behaviors, and 4) indoor environmental quality that supports physiological comfort. These strategies already provide a range of social and ecological benefits, but may additionally -- by enhancing feelings of place attachment -- promote pro-environmental behaviors and general quality of life for occupants within green buildings. The work here seeks to catalyze future empirical research on place attachment processes in green buildings and inform increasingly human-centric approaches to green building design.
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Presents an integrative theoretical framework to explain and to predict psychological changes achieved by different modes of treatment. This theory states that psychological procedures, whatever their form, alter the level and strength of self-efficacy. It is hypothesized that expectations of personal efficacy determine whether coping behavior will be initiated, how much effort will be expended, and how long it will be sustained in the face of obstacles and aversive experiences. Persistence in activities that are subjectively threatening but in fact relatively safe produces, through experiences of mastery, further enhancement of self-efficacy and corresponding reductions in defensive behavior. In the proposed model, expectations of personal efficacy are derived from 4 principal sources of information: performance accomplishments, vicarious experience, verbal persuasion, and physiological states. Factors influencing the cognitive processing of efficacy information arise from enactive, vicarious, exhortative, and emotive sources. The differential power of diverse therapeutic procedures is analyzed in terms of the postulated cognitive mechanism of operation. Findings are reported from microanalyses of enactive, vicarious, and emotive modes of treatment that support the hypothesized relationship between perceived self-efficacy and behavioral changes. (21/2 p ref)
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Little is known about place attachment affecting natural environmental risk perception and coping. A systematic search of social science databases revealed 31 works (1996–2016) directly addressing place attachment in relation to different types of natural hazard risks (e.g., seismic, volcanic, etc.). Across different contexts, the research shows: (a) positive and/or negative relationships between place attachment and natural environmental risk perception; (b) positive and/or negative relationships between place attachment and risk coping; and (c) mediating and moderating relationships. In particular, results show that: (a) highly attached individuals perceive natural environmental risks but underestimate their potential effects; (b) highly attached individuals are unwilling to relocate when facing natural environmental risks and more likely to return to risky areas after a natural environmental disaster; (c) place attachment acts both as a mediating and moderating variable between risk perception and coping. Place attachment should play a more significant role in natural environmental risk management.
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Neighbourhood parks are designed to provide opportunities for leisure and communal activities for the residents. However, studies have indicated that social interactions in these spaces are not at a satisfactory level. In the urban design context, a good public space should be legible to the observers. Legibility refers to the apparent clarity of the cityscape that directs people's movement, pattern of activities and form of interaction in public spaces. This paper discusses park's legibility and its impact on social interaction within a neighbourhood. The results presented are based on a questionnaire survey and a mental mapping exercise conducted with residents in the city of Putrajaya, Malaysia. The results demonstrate a strong relationship between the park's legibility and the social interactions among the park users. A clear structure of the setting and fewer sight obstacles found within the parks influence residents' pattern and the Intensity of outdoor activities. The findings contribute to the development of legible environments in neighbourhood park design, its positive impact on social interaction, and social bonding among the residents. © 2016 Archnet-IJAR, International Journal of Architectural Research.
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Place attachment is a form of connection between a person and the environmental setting. In the production of urban places, planners and designers mainly focus on the quality of the physical components. However, the aspects of meanings and attachment are not adequately considered in the planning and decision-making process. This study utilizes semi-structured interview method to examine place attachment dimensions in understanding the values of a place in the life of the users. Sample cases include examining attachment to streets in the city centre of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. It was evident that users’ roles and ethnic backgrounds influenced their responses. Attachment to the places was economically, socially and culturally oriented and prevalent in their daily experience of the places, and the place memories recalled.
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Drawing on empirical research in London, this paper examines how public spaces in the contemporary city are shaped. Together, the ‘contexts’, ‘processes’ and ‘power relationships’ that are revealed represent an integrated framework in the form of a journey through time during which contemporary public space—exemplified in this paper through the case of public space in London—is moulded. Extrapolating to the larger field of urban design, the discussion advances a theory of the urban design process as a place-shaping continuum. This urban design (or place-shaping) process, in all its complexity and variety, has the potential to anchor the field of urban design, offering a core for intellectual enquiry and policy/practice innovation. To situate this, the paper begins with a brief examination of urban design as a subject for investigation.
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A number of governments and public policy institutes have developed ``Quality of Life Indexes'' – statistics that attempt to measure the quality of life for entire states or regions. We develop 14 criteria for determining the validity and usefulness of such QOL indexes to public policy. We then review 22 of the most-used QOL indexes from around the world. We conclude that many of the indexes are successful in that they are reliable, have established time series measures, and can be disaggregated to study subpopulations. However, many fall short in four areas: (1) indexes vary greatly in their coverage and definitions of domains of QOL, (2) none of the indexes distinguish among the concepts of input, throughput, and output that are used by public policy analysts, (3) they fail to show how QOL outputs are sensitive to public policy inputs, and (4) none have examined convergent validity against each other. We conclude that many of these indexes are potentially very useful for public policy and recommend research to further improve them.
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Does the notion of organizational commitment apply to neighborhoods? Typically, sense of place is examined in relation to belonging and identification in communities, whereas organizational commitment is traditionally investigated in work settings. Based on apparent commonalities between the two constructs, we hypothesized that (a) neighborhood residents would experience them similarly, (b) the two constructs would be similarly associated with a physical variable (‘greenness’) and (c) individuals living in neighborhoods with more sustainable attributes would experience greater neighborhood (organizational) commitment, and a stronger sense of place. Neighborhood commitment and sense of place were significantly correlated, with moderate shared variance. Neighborhood commitment was significantly associated with the number of ‘green’ neighborhood attributes. Thus, neighborhood commitment and sense of place appear to be similar but not identical constructs, suggesting that neighborhood commitment has distinct value as an environmental construct in community research.
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Level of specialization among whitewater recreationists and their attachment to a popular whitewater recreation river in the western United States, the South Fork of the American River, were investigated. Level of specialization was based on individuals' response to a specialization index consisting of 21 different items theoretically linked to level of specialization. Three levels of specialists were identified. Further, dimensions within level of specialization were analyzed to determine their relationship to each place attachment dimension. Attachment was measured by means of a place attachment scale (Moore & Graefe, 1994; Williams & Roggenbuck, 1989). Using principal-components analysis, three place attachment dimensions were identified and named: place dependence, place identity, and lifestyle. A relationship was noted between level of specialization, subsequent dimensions, and place attachment dimensions (i.e., experience level, centrality to lifestyle, involvement, skill level, and expenditure level). High specialists were more likely to agree with the importance of place identity and lifestyle than were medium and low specialists. Place dependence was not influenced by level of specialization. When controlling for type of boater (i.e., rafter or kayaker) and type of trip (i.e., private, nonprofit, or commercial), rafters' level of agreement with the place identity dimension increased with level of investment, centrality, and experience, regardless of type of trip. And, rafters' level of agreement with the lifestyle dimension increased with their level of experience, regardless of type of trip. Overall, however, the results of this study indicated that respondents were relatively neutral about their dependence on the river, with the exception of kayakers with low centrality and experience.
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Empirical evidence is mounting that good urban design fosters the formation of social fabric. Existing evidence is however limited in at least two respects. First, empirical studies have focused largely on social interactions taking place within the residential neighborhood, while leaving social encounters near the workplace unconsidered. Second, while various studies have examined the impact of the built environment on realized social behavior, there is as yet no empirical research on the potential for having social contact. A deeper understanding of the geography of social interaction potential is nonetheless important, for it is individuals’ social opportunities rather than their preferences and actual choices that are most directly amenable to policy intervention. This paper seeks to address both issues in an empirical case study in Flanders and Brussels (Belgium). An exploratory spatial analysis is conducted to uncover spatial trends in the potential for social interaction in order to better understand the role of urban spatial structure in the production of social interaction potential.
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The transition to college or university can lead to the challenge of adapting to a new setting. Homesickness has been frequently investigated as a potential negative consequence of relocation. This study analyzed the role of multiple place attachment in the development of homesickness among university students. The study used a multicausal framework. Situational, personality, and environmental psychological variables were considered. Different factors of a person’s personality were associated with vulnerability to homesickness. In addition, multiple place attachment and vulnerability to homesickness impacted the homesickness felt by students.
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This article presents the validation by confirmatory factor analysis of abbreviated versions of instruments focusing on the neighborhood residential level, perceived residential environment quality indicators (PREQIs), and neighborhood attachment (NA). A sample of 1,488 residents in various neighborhoods of 11 Italian middle- and low-population cities filled in a questionnaire including 12 scales (N = 158), 11 PREQ scales, and 1 NA scale. The sample was randomly split-half in a calibration sample and a validation sample. Results showed good fit indexes for factorial structures including overall 19 PREQIs and 1 NA indicators, each one composed of three or four items (N = 66). Despite the high reduction of items, the shortened PREQIs and NA yield good or at least acceptable internal consistency, and fulfill convergent and discriminant construct validity criteria. Hence, they are well suited for use in research designs focusing on multiple measures of environmental quality of residential places.
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Climate change is a widely accepted fact. Urbanization and industrialization is the main cause of the climate change phenomena all around the world. One of the main problems of urbanization is the increase in growing dependence on automobiles. The main modes of transportation even in the neighbourhood area are the private cars because it is the norm of urbanites to use the motorized vehicles rather than to walk. This shows that the planning and design of the neighbourhood itself can influence the walkability of the housing area. This paper highlights the implication of walkability towards promoting sustainable urban neighbourhood.
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This research focuses upon the socio-environmental dimensions and urban identity of urban environments by evaluating human behaviours and space-to-human relations. In addition, approaches to urban re-branding will be analysed to evaluate the role of engineered identities in enhancing social integration. This particular study will focus upon the installation of temporary activities into the public realm and the impact that these can have upon perception, identity and activity within public spaces. A case study of temporary markets taking place in Nottingham's Old Market Square in the UK will be evaluated to explore possibilities of maximising the potential of urban space.
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To help mitigate the negative effects of climate change, citizens’ attitudes and behaviors must be better understood. However, little is known about which factors predict engagement with climate change, and which messaging strategies are most effective. A community sample of 324 residents from three regions in British Columbia read information either about a climate change impact relevant to their local area, a more global one, or, in a control condition, no message. Participants indicated the extent of their climate change engagement, the strength of their attachment to their local area, and demographic information. Three significant unique predictors of climate change engagement emerged: place attachment, receiving the local message, and gender (female). These results provide empirical support for some previously proposed barriers to climate action and suggest guidelines for effective climate change communication.
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Since the 1990s, numerous authors have expressed concerns about lack of conceptual clarity in research on place. Some authors suggest that place research has failed to evolve into a systematic and coherent body of knowledge. We believe recent critiques do not adequately characterize the state of knowledge in place research, but responding to the issues raised requires investigating epistemological foundations of place research traditions. Specifically, seeing systematic coherence requires a pluralistic world view that understands place, not as a single research tradition but as a domain of research informed by many disciplinary research traditions at the research program and paradigmatic level. This paper introduces a framework for discussing epistemological foundations of research traditions then uses it to: characterize the body of place research, analyse recent critiques regarding the state of place research, make a case for the value of diversity in thought, and explore the notion of scientific progress in relation to place research.
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This paper critically examines the concept of place attachment and its likely influence on pro-environmental behavioural intention of visitors. It considers place attachment as a multidimensional construct comprising place dependence, place identity, place affect and place social bonding, and suggests that research investigating this relationship in a national park context is fragmented, scattered and often does not fully consider its multidimensional nature. A coherent and integrated approach is needed to advance the field. By considering place attachment as an attitude and acknowledging the close relationship between attitude and behavioural intention when both are directed towards a particular object or environment, the paper develops a conceptual framework that integrates the different place attachment sub-constructs. It presents their relationship to pro-environmental behavioural intention as a series of propositions. The framework further considers place satisfaction to exert a direct influence on visitors’ pro-environmental behavioural intentions in national parks and a moderating effect on the relationship between the different place constructs and pro-environmental behavioural intentions in parks. Finally, the latter construct is proposed to influence visitors’ general pro-environmental behavioural intentions. The paper's theoretical contributions, its limitations and its practical implications for sustainable tourism in general and national park management in particular are discussed.
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Nearly half the buildings that will be standing in 2030 do not exist today. That means we have a tremendous opportunity to reinvent our urban areas, making them more sustainable and livable for future generations. But for this vision to become reality, the planning community needs reliable data about emerging development trends. Arthur C. Nelson delivers that resource in Reshaping Metropolitan America, providing statistics about changes in population, jobs, housing, nonresidential space, and other key factors. Most importantly, he shows the benefits of reshaping America in ways that meet emerging market demands, and then outlines a policy agenda to do so. Reshaping Metropolitan America does not simply make predictions; it shows that Americans want better communities, what the benefits are, and how to get there.
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Internet banking adoption is one area that has received attention from scholars. The extant studies have mainly used technology acceptance models and behavioural theories which do not account for changes in human behaviour. This study seeks to ascertain the determinants of Internet banking adoption intentions using the social cognitive theory, which accounts for changes in human behaviour. The study selected the sample from bank customers in Ghana through an intercept approach using structured questionnaires. A two stage-approach of confirmatory factor analysis and a structural equation modelling were used in analysing the data. The findings show that websites' social feature, trust, compatibility with lifestyle and online customer services have a significant effect on customers' intentions to adopt Internet banking. However, ease of use did not have a significant relationship with customers' intentions to adopt Internet banking. The significance of the study as well as recommendations for theory, practice and future studies have been discussed.
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Although studies on place attachment in tourism have expanded greatly during the past decade, most have focused on nature-based settings, thereby neglecting the social dimension of place. The triadic relationship of activity involvement, place attachment, and visitor loyalty has received limited attention. In response, we investigated visitors' attachment to activities and settings within cultural creative districts (CCDs) in a manufacturing hub of China, with the aim to advance the theory of place attachment and elucidate geographic and psychological factors that can affect visitor experience. Results of an onsite questionnaire (n = 252) indicated that: 1) activity involvement positively affected place attachment; 2) attraction and social bonding were strong predictors of visitor loyalty. We identified a more effective way to implement CCDs as part of urban-regeneration strategies—namely, to become visitors' favourite third places, CCDs need to offer high-quality social encounters with a suitable mix of physical, cultural, and entertainment amenities.
Book
How do we accommodate a growing urban population in a way that is sustainable, equitable, and inviting? This question is becoming increasingly urgent to answer as we face diminishing fossil-fuel resources and the effects of a changing climate while global cities continue to compete to be the most vibrant centers of culture, knowledge, and finance. Jan Gehl has been examining this question since the 1960s, when few urban designers or planners were thinking about designing cities for people. But given the unpredictable, complex and ephemeral nature of life in cities, how can we best design public infrastructure vital to cities for getting from place to place, or staying in place for human use? Studying city life and understanding the factors that encourage or discourage use is the key to designing inviting public space.
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This study examined the relationships between place attachment, the theory of planned behaviour and place-protective action. Place attachment was higher in people who evaluated place change as negative. However, only half of the people who thought change would be negative reported protesting. The theory of planned behaviour was found to predict protesting. People who had positive attitudes about the value of protesting, who thought that most people around them were protesting, and who had greater perceived behavioural control were more likely to protest. A follow-up study after the place-protective actions had been successful found that people who thought their actions had influenced decision making were more likely to intend to remain civically engaged. These results have implications for our understanding of civic behaviour and the roles attachment to place, attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control play in how people interpret and react to place change.
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Introduction: An extensive infrastructure of neighborhood parks supports leisure time physical activity in most U.S. cities; yet, most Americans do not meet national guidelines for physical activity. Neighborhood parks have never been assessed nationally to identify their role in physical activity. Methods: Using a stratified multistage sampling strategy, a representative sample of 174 neighborhood parks in 25 major cities (population >100,000) across the U.S. was selected. Park use, park-based physical activity, and park conditions were observed during a typical week using systematic direct observation during spring/summer of 2014. Park administrators were interviewed to assess policies and practices. Data were analyzed in 2014-2015 using repeated-measure negative binomial regressions to estimate weekly park use and park-based physical activity. Results: Nationwide, the average neighborhood park of 8.8 acres averaged 20 users/hour or an estimated 1,533 person hours of weekly use. Walking loops and gymnasia each generated 221 hours/week of moderate to vigorous physical activity. Seniors represented 4% of park users, but 20% of the general population. Parks were used less in low-income than in high-income neighborhoods, largely explained by fewer supervised activities and marketing/outreach efforts. Programming and marketing were associated with 37% and 63% more hours of moderate to vigorous physical activity/week in parks, respectively. Conclusions: The findings establish national benchmarks for park use, which can guide future park investments and management practices to improve population health. Offering more programming, using marketing tools like banners and posters, and installing facilities like walking loops, may help currently underutilized parks increase population physical activity.
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Tourism theory suggests mechanisms of place are critical in the construction of tourism environments. However, contradictory place theory has created confusion as to exactly what these mechanisms are and how they affect perceived environment. Literature identifies place attachment and place identity as primary mechanisms in the construction of tourist relationships with tourist environments. An interpretive methodology is used to explore these mechanisms during a festival experience, and thematically analyzed unstructured interviews show identity and attachment do influence attendees' place-based perceptions. Within the festival context, environments become either creations of the festival or exist independently of them. The latter allows realistic place identity to form, resulting in consonance between environmental expectations and reality. The former creates abstract identities resulting in unrealistic expectations and weak/no immediate attachment to the festival environment. A Model of Festival Place provides continuity-based festival recommendations allowing for clearer theoretical and practical understanding across tourism events.
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This book focuses on migration or the movement and people and examines multiple dwelling as a societal response to the major influences of increased mobility and amenity tourism (visiting or residing in high-quality landscapes such as mountains, beaches and forests for leisure experiences). It considers the modern-day meaning of multiple dwelling, how it affects personal identity and the meaning of 'home', and its impacts on host communities and landscapes. This book will be of interest to those working in the areas of tourism, leisure, geography, outdoor recreation, sociology and anthropology. The book has 20 chapters, a subject index, and an author index.
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Social mix is a key component of French urban restructuring policies. In France, as in many other Western countries, the arrival of the population attracted by new housing developments is seen as a vector for social diversity. Public authorities frequently declare that mixing would promote liveability and social interaction between different groups. But this outcome is refuted or qualified by many empirical studies. This paper explores how newcomers in new private housing developments experience their new neighbourhood based on qualitative interviews at three study sites in France. The research underlines how social interaction is influenced both by residential trajectories, leading to more or less familiarity and social distance with the neighbourhood, and spatial configurations, leading to various opportunities for social contact in public spaces.
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Hierarchical regularity is achieved with intelligible definition of the public and private realms. Territoriality understood as a spatial strategy includes the point where physical attributes and clear boundaries are intertwined with the people belonging to the place. For this purpose, effective domains of the territoriality have been analyzed, each in term of distinct aspects of the physical attributes of neighborhood center through survey. Surveys were conducted with 174 participants in the Miandeh Neighborhood Center of Boshrooyeh city in Iran. Analysis revealed that the arrangement of houses, indicators buildings, and short walking distance as the characteristics of space hierarchy encourages a feeling of defense. The paper concludes by establishing that the traditional neighborhood center design has a significant contribution to the sense of territoriality, therefore it should be considered in the design of urban spaces.