Research Information System
JOURNAL OF ARCHITECTURAL AND PLANNING RESEARCH, vol.32, pp.271-293, 2015 (SSCI)
This paper proposes a theoretical framework for understanding the relationship between individuals' place attachment and their engagement in placemaking. It then presents a field study examining whether and to what extent the involvement of children ages nine to 11 in urban planning and design activities affects their attachment to their blocks, neighborhoods, and cities. Data were collected by involving approximately 240 children from six disadvantaged neighborhoods in Istanbul, Turkey, in a participatory action research project. Pre- and post study surveys showed that, as children participated in more planning and design activities, their feelings for their neighborhoods significantly increased, but this effect was greater for some techniques of engagement than for others. Thus,. planners and urban designers should realize that the design of participatory planning processes matters.