Abstract
In the last decades, prosperous regions in Europe have experienced a tremendous rate of urbanization. In spite of considerable research efforts in the last decades, the socio–psychological implications of urbanization are still poorly understood. This paper aims to systematically determine the influence of urbanization on the relationships between inhabitants and their residential environment including their place attachment, place-satisfaction, civic participation, and proximity behavior. To achieve these goals, standardized cross-sectional questionnaires were administered to random samples (N = 1200 each) of the residential population in four study areas in Switzerland, which represent rural, peri-urban, suburban, and urban stages of urbanization. Statistical analysis revealed that place attachment was mainly influenced by the inhabitants’ good experiences in the place, their sense of local community, their local social contacts, and the level of urbanization. A structural equation model (SEM) further showed that the degree of urbanization of the setting had a direct negative influence on place attachment, while place attachment appeared to be a key moderator of, and a main driver for, place-satisfaction, civic participation, and proximity behavior. A key to reducing negative impacts of urbanization is therefore to offer optimal opportunities for access to appropriate public places
Highlights
Urbanization is a worldwide megatrend that has drastically changed people–environment interactions in the last decades and is expected to remain one of the main drivers of global change in the future
Urbanization appears likely to remain a global megatrend in the future, and a better understanding of the implications of urbanization on residents’ place relationship will be needed for elaborating strategies for sustainable transition
This study used a comprehensive and systematic approach to improve the understanding of the interactions between urbanization and people–place relationships
Summary
Urbanization is a worldwide megatrend that has drastically changed people–environment interactions in the last decades and is expected to remain one of the main drivers of global change in the future. Simmel [10] suggested that urbanization of suburban regions would have negative effects on people’s mental health including a diminished relationship to the local environment and a loss of sense of community. Other members of the Chicago school, including Park and Burgess [12], resisted this negative view of urbanization by emphasising the on-going role of socialization processes in creating social networks within local communities, irrespective of the character of the place. Rather than structural aspects of urbanization they expected that length of residence, position in the social structure, and stage of life cycle mainly shaped people’s relationship with their local community [13]
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