4A.5B - Lived Experience
Lived experience of, and attachment to, places varies according to age, ethnicity, gender, length of residence (new migrants, students), and levels of deprivation; these in turn impact on levels of engagement. A: Attachment to places influences attitude.
The degree of place attachment is important in explaining engagement. It varies according to age, ethnicity, the length of time people have been residents in an area and by levels of deprivation.
E.g. Coin Street in London, an area on the South Bank of the Thames, close to the London Eye. In the mid-1970s plans were made to redevelop what was then a run-down, deprived, deindustrialised area. However, local residents strongly objected to the commercial development plans and launched a campaign to save the area, eventually buying the land themselves and setting up a community group, Coin Street Community Builders (CSCB). CSCB still own and manage social, affordable housing in the area.
However, Coin Street was an established, if deprived, community. Levels of engagement are influenced by:
Place attachment is the bond between an individual or community and a location, It might be thought of as how much people care for a place.
The degree of place attachment is important in explaining engagement. It varies according to age, ethnicity, the length of time people have been residents in an area and by levels of deprivation.
E.g. Coin Street in London, an area on the South Bank of the Thames, close to the London Eye. In the mid-1970s plans were made to redevelop what was then a run-down, deprived, deindustrialised area. However, local residents strongly objected to the commercial development plans and launched a campaign to save the area, eventually buying the land themselves and setting up a community group, Coin Street Community Builders (CSCB). CSCB still own and manage social, affordable housing in the area.
However, Coin Street was an established, if deprived, community. Levels of engagement are influenced by:
- Age - especially combined with length of residence in a place. Young people may feel less attached to their place due to globalisation, and use of social media.
- length of residence - new migrants and students may have weaker attachments than longstanding locals
- levels of deprivation - higher levels may be associated with anti-establishment views; those in temporary accommodation or rented housing may feel less attachment than owner-occupiers
- ethnicity - non-whites may differ in their views due to local antipathy or acceptance, may link to length of residence
- gender - women may feel less able to go to the pub alone, and a stay-at-home parent may be more active in the local community
Place attachment is the bond between an individual or community and a location, It might be thought of as how much people care for a place.
