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What if “sense of place” is already strong? An in-depth investigation in an award-winning American neighbourhood

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Abstract

This study investigates the sense of place (SoP) as a function of spatial characteristics of Buffalo, New York's Elmwood Village, an award-winning American neighbourhood for its perceived strong SoP. The primary aim is to provide empirical proof of this claimed strength of the neighbourhood’s SoP at the building, street and neighbourhood scales and to offer a multi-dimensional understanding of SoP by investigating its four sub-indicators, namely place attachment, place identity, place dependence and nature bonding. By studying the perceptual dynamics with a survey method, place identity and place attachment were identified as the most important determinants of SoP at the neighbourhood scale, while place identity and place dependence took the lead at smaller scales. The study of spatial dynamics showed that SoP can be improved to varied degrees for each of the four sub-indicators based on variances in building and street characteristics. For instance, residing in single-family houses or houses with three-and-more bedrooms may result in higher SoP; or place identity may be affected by the open sky coverage or vegetation coverage, etc. Elmwood Village has demonstrated the power of SoP at all scales, and the neighbourhood itself undoubtedly holds a special place in the hearts of its residents. Overall, planners and designers should concentrate on which spatial qualities and scales should be prioritised in future improvement plans to maintain and/or build SoP.

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Acknowledgements

This research was conducted with the financial support of Fulbright Program and the Turkish Fulbright Commission (Fulbright Grant for 12 months, Grant Number: FY-2021-TR-PD-04). The authors would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers of this paper for their constructive comments.

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  1. Department of Architecture, Faculty of Arts, Design and Architecture, Duzce University, Ciftepinarlar Mah. Turbe Sk. No: 7/1, Konuralp, 81620, Duzce, Türkiye

    Duygu Gokce

  2. Department of Architecture, School of Architecture and Planning, The State University of New York at Buffalo, South Campus, Hayes Hall, Buffalo, NY, 14214, USA

    Duygu Gokce & Conrad Kickert

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Gokce, D., Kickert, C. What if “sense of place” is already strong? An in-depth investigation in an award-winning American neighbourhood. Urban Des Int 29, 39–55 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41289-023-00226-z

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