Finding Common Ground: The Importance of Place Attachment to Community Participation and Planning

Abstract

This article draws connections between the environmental and community psychology literature on place attachment and meaning with the theory, research, and practice of community participation and planning. Each area of inquiry has much to offer the other, yet few links have been made between them. Typically, literature on place attachment focuses on individual feelings and experiences and has not placed these bonds in the larger, sociopolitical context in which planners operate. Conversely, the community planning literature emphasizes participation and empowerment, but overlooks emotional connections to place. Yet these attachments can motivate cooperative efforts to improve one’s community. Literature across disciplines is examined and synthesized to develop a framework for understanding the psychological dimensions of people’s interactions with community. An ecological model is then proposed that integrates multiple environmental domains and analysis levels. This model can accommodate place attachments and meaning as well as social and political aspects of community participation.

Psychological influences on biosecurity control and farmer decision-making. A review

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Analyzing Cultural Markers to Characterize Regional Identity for Rural Planning

“…Until now, research has not sufficiently linked planning with place or regional identity (Manzo, 2006). Despite some attempts to theorize and discover place meanings for planning (Lokocz, Ryan and Sadler, 2011;Sedlacek, Kurka and Maier, 2009), it seems that little is known about appropriate methods to bring spatial planning and regional identity together.…”

Locating community among people with schizophrenia living in a diverse urban environment

“…A semi-structured qualitative interview was developed from community theory literatures 4 with the domains of qualitative inquiry qualitative questions derived from quantitative surveys such as the External Community Integration Scale (Manzo & Perkins, 2006), the Sense of Community Index (Perkins, Florin, Rich, et al ,1990), measures of perceived neighbourhood social cohesion (Sampson, 1997), the Devaluation-Discrimination Scale (Link, 1987), and the evaluation framework of Aubrey and Myner (1996). Three times over the course of approximately 10 months, with interviews taking place at the beginning, in month 5, and at the end of this period, participants spent between 6-8 hours (within a 1 week period) completing in-depth interviews focusing on all domains of community participation (i.e., physical, psychological, social, economic, spiritual, political).…”