Place Attachment as an Outcome of Placemaking and the Urban Quality of Life

Abstract

Placemaking is a hands-on approach. It is an overarching concept and a cumulative process that drives place users to take part in the process of reimagining and reinventing their public spaces, enhancing the effective bond between them and the places they share (place attachment). Furthermore, placemaking, identity, attachment are interrelated terms. This study aims to discuss and identify the relationship between these terms and the urban quality of life. It depends on a deductive method to conclude place attachment attributes and the key performance indicators of the urban quality of life. To measure the impact of place attachment on the urban quality of life a questionnaire of Likert-type scale has been applied to a sample of 33 experts. Experts were asked 24 questions to measure the impact of each place attachment attributes on the key performance indicator of the urban quality of life; as a result, the indicators of the urban quality of life were arranged according to being affected by place attachment attributes. The main finding of this study is related to the process of enhancing the quality of urban life for a space/area. In the beginning, build up a physical identity for this space/area via involving the targeted users in the design of their places; and creating places that users can modify and adapt as the potential for individuals and community personalization. This involvement will enhance users' feelings of the place's character, raise people's sense of place/identity and drive them to attach to this place.