I attended a presentation yesterday on some very interesting research coming out of the U.S. about the importance of place.
Their research involved several cities across the U.S. and considered the question – does place still matters in a increasingly virtual world?
The answer was a big “yes”.
They went further to ask what attaches people to place and why is that attachment important. The researchers identified several key measures of community attachment – that is to say the people they spoke to:
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had pride in their community
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felt their community was a perfect place
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had a positive outlook
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felt satisfaction
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would recommend their community to others
They also identified the drivers of attachment:
- Openness
- Social capital
- Civic involvement
- Community offerings (education, safety, social offerings, aesthetics and economy)
The three drivers that kept coming to the top were:
- Openness – how welcoming a community is to all people
- Social offering – how the city is designed to provide for positive social interaction in the community and the civility of people using these spaces (the skating rink in Market Square is a brilliant example)
- Aesthetics – the natural and created beauty of the place
There are lots of lessons for cities which I will explore more in future postings. However, there was one big one which is also the answer to those who might be asking – so what?
The level of attachment in a community is directly linked to the health and resilience of the local economy.
More about the work of Katherine Loflin can be found by clicking here
February 9, 2012
Arts, Sport, Heritage & Culture, Caring Community, Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion, Healthy Environment, Jobs & the Economy