Determinants of Place Attachment: Comparative Study of Horizontal and Vertical Middle-Income Residential Environments in Sri Lanka
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61841/1r21jf76Keywords:
Place attachment; determinants; residential neighbourhoodsAbstract
The main objective of this research is to examine the determinants of place attachment in horizontal and vertical residential environments (specifically at the neighborhood level). Place attachment determinants and its scale were formulated by reviewing literature: 16 variables (social and physical determinants) were identified. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted to collect data from 200 residents of each residential environment in the fast-growing Colombo Metropolitan Region in Sri Lanka. The gathered data were subjected to statistical analysis in
Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). According to the results, the level of place attachment of the horizontal residential neighborhood is higher than the vertical residential neighborhood, while respondents of both neighborhoods indicated more than an average level of attachment. Regression analysis shows that, in both neighborhoods, both physical determinants and social determinants appear as significant determinants to explain the changes in place attachment. Moreover, residents of the vertical residential area feel more attached to the place due to physical determinants, whereas the residents of the horizontal residential area feel more attached to the place due to social determinants. The comparison of two types of neighborhoods might provide additional insights into place attachment. The result of this study can be useful for planners, architects, and policy makers when planning the different types of residential environments.
Downloads
References
[1] Brehm, J. M., Eisenhauer, B. W., & Stedman, R. C. (2013). Environmental concern: Examining the role of
place meaning and place attachment. Society & Natural Resources, 26(5), 522-538.
[2] Manzo, L. C., & Devine-Wright, P. (2013). Exploring the shadow side: Place attachment in the context of
stigma, displacement, and social housing. In Place Attachment (pp. 192-204). Routledge
[3] Darby, D. Ö., & Özata, T. (2017). Analyzing the concept of place attachment in the context of spatıal
factors: Kuzguncuk, Istanbul. Iconarp International Journal of Architecture and Planning, 5, 18-29.
[4] Clark, A. (2010). Allison E. Smith, Ageing in urban neighbourhoods: Place attachment and social
exclusion, Ageing & Society, 30(6), 1089-1090.
[5] Arnberger, A., & Eder, R. (2012). The influence of green space on community attachment of urban and
suburban residents. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening, 11(1), 41-49.
[6] Brown, B. B., & Perkins, D. D. (1992). Disruptions in place attachment. In Place attachment (pp. 279-304).
Springer, Boston, MA.
[7] Rollero, C., & De Piccoli, N. (2010). Place attachment, identification and environment perception: An
empirical study. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(2), 198-205.
[8] Scannell, L., & Gifford, R. (2017). Place attachment enhances psychological need
satisfaction. Environment and Behavior, 49(4), 359-389.
[9] Galster, G. C., & Hesser, G. W. (1982). The social neighborhood: an unspecified factor in homeowner
maintenance?. Urban Affairs Quarterly, 18(2), 235-254.
[10] Brown, B., Perkins, D. D., & Brown, G. (2003). Place attachment in a revitalizing neighborhood:
Individual and block levels of analysis. Journal of environmental psychology, 23(3), 259-271.
[11] Lewicka, M. (2011). Place attachment: How far have we come in the last 40 years? Journal of
environmental psychology, 31(3), 207-230.
[12] Lewicka, M. (2010) What makes neighborhood different from home and city? Effects of place scale on
place attachment." Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30 (1), 35-51.
[13] Lu, T., Zhang, F., & Wu, F. (2018). Place attachment in gated neighbourhoods in China: Evidence from
Wenzhou. Geoforum, 92, 144-151.
[14] Bahar, K. A. B. A. (2018). Measuring neighborhood attachment and urban-related identity among residents
of gated communities: a case study in mavişehir. European Journal of Geography, 9(2), 66-80.
[15] Muhuri, S., & Basu, S. (2018). Developing residential social cohesion index for high-rise group housing
complexes in India. Social Indicators Research, 137(3), 923-947.
[16] Hesari, E., Peysokhan, M., Havashemi, A., Gheibi, D., Ghafourian, M., & Bayat, F. (2019). Analyzing the
dimensionality of place attachment and its relationship with residential satisfaction in new cities: The case
of Sadra, Iran. Social Indicators Research, 142(3), 1031-1053.
[17] Casakin, H., & Reizer, A. (2017). Place attachment, residential satisfaction, and life satisfaction:
Traditional and renewed kibbutz. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 27(7), 639-655.
[18] Lestari, W. M., & Sumabrata, J. (2018). The influencing factors on place attachment in neighborhood of
Kampung Melayu. In IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science (Vol. 126, No. 1, p.
012190). IOP Publishing.
[19] Najafi, M., & Shariff, M. K. B. M. (2011). The concept of place and sense of place in architectural
studies. International Journal of Human and Social Sciences, 6(3), 187-193.
[20] Bonaiuto, M., Carrus, G., Martorella, H., & Bonnes, M. (2002). Local identity processes and environmental
attitudes in land use changes: The case of natural protected areas. Journal of Economic Psychology, 23(5),
631-653.
[21] Zhang, H., Matsuoka, R., & Huang, Y. J. (2018). How do community planning features affect the place
relationship of residents? An investigation of place attachment, Social Interaction, and Community
Participation. Sustainability, 10(8), 2726.
[22] Duque-Calvache, R., Clark, W. A., & Palomares-Linares, I. (2018). How do neighbourhood perceptions
interact with moving desires and intentions?. Housing Studies, 33(4), 589-612.
[23] Bahar, K. A. B. A. (2018). Measuring neighborhood attachment and urban-related identity among residents
of gated communities: a case study in Mavişehir. European Journal of Geography, 9(2), 66-80.
[24] Bonaiuto, M., Aiello, A., Perugini, M., Bonnes, M., & Ercolani, A. P. (1999). Multidimensional perception
of residential environment quality and neighbourhood attachment in the urban environment. Journal of
environmental psychology, 19(4), 331-352.
[25] Dempsey, N. (2008). Quality of the built environment in urban neighbourhoods. Planning, Practice &
Research, 23(2), 249-264.
[26] Zhu, Y., Breitung, W., & Li, S. M. (2012). The changing meaning of neighbourhood attachment in Chinese
commodity housing estates: Evidence from Guangzhou. Urban Studies, 49(11), 2439-2457.
[27] Fornara, F., Lai, A. E., Bonaiuto, M., & Pazzaglia, F. (2019). Residential place attachment as an adaptive
strategy for coping with the reduction of spatial abilities in old age. Frontiers in Psychology, 10 (1), 115-
122.
[28] Alawadi, K. (2017). Place attachment as a motivation for community preservation: The demise of an old,
bustling, Dubai community. Urban Studies, 54(13), 2973-2997.
[29] Jean, S. (2016). Neighbourhood attachment revisited: Middle-class families in the Montreal metropolitan
region. Urban Studies, 53(12), 2567-2583.
[30] Clark, W. A., Duque‐Calvache, R., & Palomares‐Linares, I. (2017). Place attachment and the decision to
stay in the neighbourhood. Population, Space and Place, 23(2), 2001-2021.
[31] Anton, C. E., & Lawrence, C. (2014). Home is where the heart is: The effect of place of residence on place
attachment and community participation. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 40, 451-461.
[32] Tabernero, C., Briones, E., & Cuadrado, E. (2010). Changes in residential satisfaction and place attachment
over time. Psyecology, 1(3), 403-412.
[33] Mishra, S., Mazumdar, S., & Suar, D. (2010). Place attachment and flood preparedness. Journal of
Environmental Psychology, 30(2), 187-197.
[34] Hidalgo, M. C., & Hernandez, B. (2001). Place attachment: Conceptual and empirical questions. Journal of
Environmental Psychology, 21(3), 273-281.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
