Social environments still matter: The role of physical and social environments in place attachment in a transitional city, Guangzhou, China

Abstract

Place attachment, as an important emotional and functional bond between people and place, has received extensive attention in the early-21st century. This trend is especially evident in China, where rapid market transitions have fundamentally changed urban neighborhoods. Using a survey of residents in Guangzhou, China, remote sensing imagery, geographic information system (GIS) techniques, and hierarchical linear modeling (HLM), this study investigates the role of physical and social environments in place attachment. Results indicate that commodity housing residents generally do not necessarily have strong place attachment. However, higher quality physical and social environments do contribute to stronger place attachment. Specifically, perceived housing conditions, social ties, sense of security, and lower floor area ratio (FAR) are positively associated with place identity, while perceived housing conditions, perceived neighborhood environment, social ties, lower FAR, and built environment quality are positively associated with place dependence. Social ties are the strongest predictor of place identity while housing conditions are the strongest predictor of place dependence. We conclude that social environments still matter as social and physical environments play different roles in place identity and place dependence. Based on the findings, we advocate that urban (re)development and housing policies should shift the focus from large-scale demolitions to micro-scale dwelling improvements; and in addition to objective measures, subjective evaluation by residents should also be used to evaluate urban (re)development projects.