Putting down roots: Relationships between urban forests and residents’ place attachment

Abstract

Many cities seek to improve their urban forests to provide a diverse range of benefits for residents. One of these potential benefits, place attachment, is linked with its own positive outcomes including increased social cohesion, life satisfaction, and environmentally-friendly behaviour. However, it is currently unclear how urban forests relate to place attachment. This case study sought to clarify that relationship. A survey measuring residents’ place attachment, satisfaction/dissatisfaction with urban forest services/disservices respectively, perceived urban forest characteristics, and sociodemographic variables was distributed to residents of the Perth Metropolitan Area in Western Australia. The survey measured these variables at three spatial scales: residents’ homes, streets, and neighbourhoods. The 638 responses were combined with GIS datasets to calculate objective measures of average canopy cover. SEM was used to test relationships between different groups of variables and understand their relationship with place attachment. We found that place attachment was positively associated with residents’ satisfaction with key urban forest services: sense of place, social interactions encouraged by the trees, and fresh air. In turn, place attachment and satisfaction with services were associated with objective canopy cover, both directly and indirectly via perceived characteristics. An analysis of qualitative feedback from residents helped to illustrate nuances around how urban trees relate to sense of place and how the loss of trees can be a source of distress and solastalgia. As such, we recommend that actual and perceived urban forest characteristics, residents’ agency, and tree removal be adequately considered in efforts to maximise urban forest benefits.