A Contextual Approach to Neighbourhood Attachment

In spite of prophecies to the contrary, the urban neighbourhood continues to be an important locale for formal and informal social action. Attachment to neighbourhood is complex and the reasons for it are not captured simply by matching the attributes of the individual resident and his or her attitudes and behaviour, as previous studies have suggested. Characteristics of the neighbourhood itself need to be incorporated into an analysis of attachment. It is also argued that the existence or degree of attachment varies between individuals depending upon their resources, opportunities for extra-local links, personal needs and the place in which they live.