Conceptualization and Measurement of Dimensionality of Place Attachment

Abstract

To extend the discussion and application of place attachment to tourism-relevant contexts, this article proposes two neglected dimensions: place memory and place expectation. Combining these dimensions, a six-dimension construct of place attachment is tested using confirmatory factor analysis and found to be a good fit for data collected from two places: Sydney, Australia and Shanghai, China. The new dimensionality includes an individual's past experience and future expectations of his/her attachment to a place, and thus has a potential to interpret one's attachment to a place based on a shorter term stay. The implications of the study for researchers and destination managers are discussed.

The Relationship Between Park Satisfaction, Place Attachment and Revisit Intention in Neighborhood Parks with Physical Activity Facilities

“…"Attachment theory" (Bowlby, 1969) suggests that interactions between people and places lead to the development of place attachment (Tuan, 1980). There is a growing consensus in the literature that place attachment has a multi-dimensional structure (Chen, Dwyer, & Firth, 2014;Ramkissoon et al, 2013), although some researchers define this structure as a two-dimensional one involving both place dependence and place identity (Williams & Roggenbuck, 1989;Williams & Vaske, 2003). According to some researchers, place attachment can be conceptualized as having the following dimensions: place dependence (Williams, Patterson, Roggenbuck, & Watson, 1992), place identity (Prohansky, 1978), social bonding (Ramkissoon et al, 2013) and, more recently, place affect (Halpenny, 2010).…”

Examining the relationship between place attachment and behavioral loyalty in an urban park setting

“…Overall, there seems to be consensus in the literature that place attachment is a multidimensional construct (Chen, Dwyer, & Firth, 2014;Ednie, Daigle, & Leahy, 2010;Hammitt, Kyle, & Oh, 2009;Williams & Roggenbuck, 1989;Williams & Vaske, 2003). Some authors have utilized a two dimensional frame of place attachment including place dependence and place identity (Williams & Roggenbuck, 1989;Williams & Vaske, 2003).…”

Resident attitudes, place attachment and destination branding: a research framework

“…Nevertheless specific circumstances may lead to strong attachment within a limited period of time. To address this in the dimensionality of place attachment, Chen, Dwyer and Firth (2014a) proposed another two dimensions to capture the attachment formed on a short-term experience or longterm expectation: place memory and place expectation. Place memory is the retrieved memory reflecting attachment to a place, and place expectation is the reflected expectation of future experiences in a place.…”

“…sense of place, place attachment, topophilia, insidedness, and community sentiment (Low and Altman 1992), which have been defined differently in various disciplines (Cross 2001) (the review of the disciplines is available in the Appendix). Discussions on this complex human-place relationship consist of two perspectives: (1) relationship to place refers to the different ways that people relate to places, or the types of bonds people can have with a place; (2) place attachment, on the other hand, refers to the depth and types of attachments to one particular place (Chen, Dwyer and Firth 2014a). Relationship to place is usually created instantaneously and often impossible to alter (e.g.…”