Place attachment in a revitalizing neighborhood: Individual and block levels of analysis

Place attachments are positive bonds to physical and social settings that support identity and provide other psychological benefits. However, place attachments have been neglected as a potential strength in declining suburban neighborhoods. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses are used to examine attachment to the home and attachment to the block/neighborhood for over 600 residents of a neighborhood with a history of gradual decline. Results show that overall place attachment is higher for home owners, long-term residents, and non-Whites or Hispanics. Place attachment is also high for individuals who perceive fewer incivilities on their block, who have fewer observed incivilities on their property, who have lower fear of crime, and who have a higher sense of neighborhood cohesion and control (i.e. collective efficacy). Furthermore, blocks with more home owners, non-Whites or Hispanics, perceived and observed incivilities, and lower fear of crime have residents with higher overall place attachments. Differences between predictors of home and block/neighborhood attachment are discussed and place attachment is proposed as an underutilized tool for neighborhood revitalization. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.