Types of place attachment and pro-environmental behaviors of urban residents in Beijing

Abstract

Residents' engagement in pro-environmental behavior is crucial in tackling the environmental challenges that cities face. Research shows that residents who are attached to their place of residence are more likely to engage in pro-environmental behavior and, consequently, place attachment has been prescribed as a pro-environmental policy. However, previous research has not explored which specific aspect of place attachment is most effective at promoting different types of pro-environmental behavior. Furthermore, in the context of big cities which typically host both natives and migrants, different resident groups may be attached to their places of residence due to different reasons. This implies that different types of place attachment policies may be required for each group of residents. Using survey data in Beijing, China, we find that the social bonding dimension of place attachment is most effective at promoting pro-environmental behavior and that this relationship is stronger for native born residents and those with longer residency length. We also find that the effect of place social bonding is stronger for high-effort than low-effort pro-environmental behavior. Our findings have implications for the design and implementation of place attachment policies for local authorities in Beijing and in other big cities where different groups of residents cohabit. Generally, our research results imply that place attachment policies that focus on promoting social connections amongst urban residents to their place of residence will be most effective.