Place attachment assessment of a heritage place: A case study of the Roman amphitheater in downtown Amman, Jordan

This research investigated the place attachment of a heritage place, namely, the Roman amphitheater, by using a valid model, the Kyle, Graefe, and Manning (2005) model. This model presents three factors to reach place attachment: place identification, place dependence, and social bonding. Although the validity of the used model was proved, statistical tests were used to verify the validity of the collected data because the model was used on a heritage site. In accordance with the mentioned model, the sample was interviewed using the model questionnaire to evaluate people's attachment to the heritage place during rush hours. Along with other statistical tests, the exploratory factor analysis of the sample elaborated that the Kyle, Graefe, and Manning model is not completely valid for this study, because the results added a new effective factor, namely, spiritual value. The place attachment estimation was then examined using the new model. The nature of the place was found to affect the model used to evaluate its place attachment. (C) 2017 Higher Education Press Limited Company. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi.