Place Attachment in Socially Sustainable Neighborhoods (Case Study: Jolfa, Esfahan)

Place attachment and place dependence are two aspects of people’s bonding to place that are consideredcomplimentary components. Place attachment is a measure of the emotional bonding that people haveto their neighborhood or other places. When place attachment is applied to the neighborhood it can beexpressed as a strong feeling of being at home or the unwillingness to leave the place. The associationsbetween physical place and social networks to place attachment have not been at the forefront ofsustainable community planning. The predominant approach has avoided the question of how to guidepeople towards becoming a key factor of their communities. Even though the concept has originallybeen developed for American and European neighborhood planning, it could also be adapted to otherneighborhoods. This paper will examine the predictors of place attachment in the neighborhood of Jolfain search of their relationship with sustainability. Surveys and face-to-face interviews were conductedto investigate place attachment and the relationship between attachment and the physical and socialpredictors of the social sustainable neighborhood. The findings indicate a significant attachment to theneighborhood, which contributes to the persons’ tendency to remain in the community. Also, physicaldimensions of attachment are regarded as essential in developing place dependence resulting inattachment.

Place Attachment in Socially Sustainable Neighborhoods (Case Study: Jolfa, Esfahan) Keywords:

Place Attachment , Community Attachment , Place Dependence , Sustainable Neighborhood