An Analysis of Place Attachment and factors Affecting it in slums (case of study: East Kal Eidgah of Sabzevar)

Place attachment which refers to the deep relations that people have with particular places, has a determining effect on peoples’ presence in and making use of those places. Place attachment consists of elements like place identity, place dependence, emotional attachment and social bonds which are influenced by social, environmental, and individual variables. Therefore, depending on their particular circumstances, different places can cause different levels of place attachment in their residents. In this regard, the issue of place attachment in slums, which have social, economic, and environmental problems, becomes important; both from an anthropological and sociological point of view (the creation of individual and collective identity, causing solidarity among individuals) and also from a society-based social planning point of view (encouraging residents to participate in neighborhood development programs). This is a survey research which uses a questionnaire to collect the needed data. Research sample consisted of 130 individuals that were selected randomly and the head of the household was the unit of analysis. Binomial test, Lambda and Spearman correlation coefficients were used to test the hypotheses. Research results showed that contrary to common perceptions about slum-dwellers, place attachment in all four dimensions of emotional attachment, place dependence, social bonds, and place identity was at a high level. It was also shown that there was a significant relationship between residents’ level of satisfaction with social and physical circumstances of the residence and their place attachment. Individual characteristics however were not significantly related to place attachment.