THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STREETSCAPE QUALITY AND PLACE ATTACHMENT IN THE HISTORIC TOURIST CITY, CHINA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v24i43.2095Keywords:
Streetscape Quality, Place Attachment, Historic Tourist CityAbstract
Streetscape quality is crucial for fostering residents’ place attachment. The research explores the influence of perceived streetscape quality on residents’ place attachment. Streetscape quality contains four dimensions: safety, comfort, walkability, and imageability. Place attachment includes place identity and place dependence. A total of 428 valid questionnaires were collected from residents in Zhengding Ancient City, China. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM). The results indicate that different dimensions of streetscape quality have differential effects on place identity and place dependence. Comfort and imageability positively impact place identity. Safety, comfort and walkability positively influence place dependence. These results provide valuable guidance for local governments to enhance streetscape quality.
Downloads
References
Abass, Z. I., & Tucker, R. (2021). Talk on the street: The impact of good streetscape design on neighbourhood experience in low-density suburbs. Housing, Theory and Society, 38(2), 204–227. https://doi.org/10.1080/14036096.2020.1724193
Akoz Cevrimli, B., & Ulusoy, M. (2025). Analysing the relationship between space quality and place attachment in urban coasts using structural equation modelling: The Antalya Konyaaltı case. International Journal of Urban Sciences, 1–39. https://doi.org/10.1080/12265934.2025.2545795
Ali, O., Mansour, Y., Elshater, A., & Fareed, A. (2022). Assessing the identity of a place through its measurable components to achieve sustainable development. Civil Engineering and Architecture, 10(5), 137–157. https://doi.org/10.13189/cea.2022.101407
Alsadun, I. S. (2019). An exploration of study spaces among Chinese and Indian graduate students (Doctoral dissertation, Texas Tech University). Texas Tech University DSpace.
Casakin, H., Hernández, B., & Ruiz, C. (2015). Place attachment and place identity in Israeli cities: The influence of city size. Cities, 42, 224–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2014.07.007
Castro, D., Kim, S., & Assaker, G. (2023). An empirical examination of the antecedents of residents’ support for future film tourism development. Tourism Management Perspectives, 45, 101067. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tmp.2022.101067
Chen, C., Luo, W., Kang, N., Li, H., Yang, X., & Xia, Y. (2020). Serial mediation of environmental preference and place attachment in the relationship between perceived street walkability and mood of the elderly. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(13), 4620. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134620
Chen, N., & Dwyer, L. (2018). Residents’ place satisfaction and place attachment on destination brand-building behaviours: Conceptual and empirical differentiation. Journal of Travel Research, 57(8), 1026–1041. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287517729760
Chin, W. W. (1998). The partial least squares approach to structural equation modeling. In G. A. Marcoulides (Ed.), Modern methods for business research (pp. 295–336). Psychology Press.
Darabaneanu, D., Maci, D., & Oprea, I. M. (2024). Influence of environmental perception on place attachment in Romanian rural areas. Sustainability, 16(3), 1106. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16031106
Eng, J., & McCormack, G. R. (2025). Place attachment and walkability and their associations with walking in urban neighbourhoods. Scientific Reports, 15(1), 35474. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-19319-6
Ewing, R., & Handy, S. (2009). Measuring the unmeasurable: Urban design qualities related to walkability. Journal of Urban Design, 14(1), 65–84. https://doi.org/10.1080/13574800802451155
Fornell, C., & Larcker, D. F. (1981). Structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error: Algebra and statistics. Journal of Marketing Research, 18(3), 382–388. https://doi.org/10.1177/002224378101800313
Fu, X., Adejoke, A. B., Salaripour, A., Zali, N., & Reihani, Z. S. (2024). Does urban livability lead to place attachment and behavioural intentions? Case study: Isfahan City. Environment and Urbanisation ASIA, 15(1), 156–174. https://doi.org/10.1177/09754253241233781
Fidelista, A. N., Nugroho, A. M., & Wulandari, L. D. (2025). Residents’ perception of the habitable built environment quality in informal riverbank settlements: Case study of Jodipan Colourful Village, Indonesia. Planning Malaysia, 23(6). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v23i39.1892
Hair, J. F., Risher, J. J., Sarstedt, M., & Ringle, C. M. (2019). When to use and how to report the results of PLS-SEM. European Business Review, 31(1), 2–24. https://doi.org/10.1108/EBR-11-2018-0203
Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2022). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (3rd ed.). SAGE.
Harvey, C., Aultman-Hall, L., Hurley, S. E., & Troy, A. (2015). Effects of skeletal streetscape design on perceived safety. Landscape and Urban Planning, 142, 18–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2015.05.007
Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sinkovics, R. R. (2009). The use of partial least squares path modeling in international marketing. In R. R. Sinkovics & P. N. Ghauri (Eds.), New challenges to international marketing (Advances in International Marketing, Vol. 20, pp. 277–319). Emerald Group Publishing Limited. https://doi.org/10.1108/S1474-7979(2009)0000020014
Hernández, B., Hidalgo, M. C., Salazar-Laplace, M. E., & Hess, S. (2007). Place attachment and place identity in natives and non-natives. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 27(4), 310–319.
Hoff, S. C., & Løvoll, H. S. (2026). Activities in natural environments as a remedy to loneliness: The role of connectedness to nature and place attachment. Health & Place, 98, 103617. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthplace.2026.103617
Huang, M., Aziz, N. F., Yan, Y., Shen, H., & Liu, J. (2025). The relationship between urban park landscape perception and place attachment in Park City, China. Planning Malaysia, 23(3). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v23i36.1748
Jansson, C. (2019). Factors influencing perceived safety among street users [Master’s thesis, KTH Royal Institute of Technology].
Khaidzir, M. F. S., & Kamal, M. A. A. (2023). Sense of place: Place identity, place attachment, and place dependence among university students. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(10), 1020–1033. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v13-i10/18945
Khemri, M. Y., Melis, A., & Caputo, S. (2020). Sustaining the liveliness of public spaces in El Houma through placemaking: The case of Algiers. The Journal of Public Space, 5(1), 129–152. https://doi.org/10.32891/jps.v5i1.1254
Kholis, A., & Nugroho, M. S. (2023). Evaluation of tourism development using the TALC approach: A case study in East Lombok, Indonesia. Jurnal Kepariwisataan: Destinasi, Hospitalitas dan Perjalanan, 7(1), 35–50. https://doi.org/10.34013/jk.v7i1.821
Korpela, K. M. (1989). Place-identity as a product of environmental self-regulation. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 9(3), 241-256.
Kyle, G., Graefe, A., Manning, R., & Bacon, J. (2004). Effects of place attachment on users’ perceptions of social and environmental conditions in a natural setting. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 24(2), 213–225. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2003.12.006
Lalicic, L., & Garaus, M. (2022). Tourism-induced place change: The role of place attachment, emotions, and tourism concern in predicting supportive or oppositional behavioural responses. Journal of Travel Research, 61(1), 202–213. https://doi.org/10.1177/0047287520967753
Latip, N. S. A., Zulnaidi, N. Z., Redzuan, N., Osman, M. M., & Harun, N. Z. (2023). Place-making of public space within transit-oriented development (TOD): A review. Planning Malaysia, 21(1). https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v21i25.1254
Lewicka, M. (2010). What makes a neighbourhood different from home and city? Effects of place scale on place attachment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 30(1), 35–51. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvp.2009.05.004
Low, S. M., & Altman, I. (1992). Place attachment: A conceptual inquiry. In I. Altman & S. M. Low (Eds.), Place attachment (pp. 1–12). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4684-8753-4_1
Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development of the People's Republic of China, & National Development and Reform Commission of the People's Republic of China. (2023, April 18). Guidelines for the construction of protection and enhancement projects for historic and cultural cities, districts, and related areas (Trial). https://www.gov.cn/zhengce/zhengceku/2023-04/18/content_5751864.htm
Nguyen-Viet, B., & Nguyen My, P. (2026). International visitors’ revisit intention towards Vietnamese spiritual destinations: Integrating the theory of reasoned action and the cognitive-affective-behavioural model. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 9(5), 2050–2067. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-08-2025-0977
Novotný, J., Levkova, A., Drbohlav, D., & Hasman, J. (2026). Drivers of return plans among Ukrainian war refugees in Czechia: Challenging common assumptions and refining the theory. Population, Space and Place, 32(1), e70177. https://doi.org/10.1002/psp.70177
Nunnally, J. C., & Bernstein, I. H. (1994). Psychometric theory (3rd ed.). McGraw-Hill.
Pacheco, A. S. (2025). Conservation awareness and public knowledge of the endangered southern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca) on Vancouver Island, Canada [Master’s thesis, Royal Roads University]. ProQuest Dissertations & Theses.
Pereira, M. F., Santana, P., & Vale, D. S. (2024). The impact of urban design on utilitarian and leisure walking: The relative influence of street network connectivity and streetscape features. Urban Science, 8(2), 24. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci8020024
Qiu, W., Li, W., Liu, X., & Huang, X. (2021). Subjectively measured streetscape perceptions to inform urban design strategies for Shanghai. ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information, 10(8), 493. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijgi10080493
Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2010). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach (5th ed.). Wiley.
Soonsan, N., & Somkai, U. (2023). Dimensions of gastronomic experience affecting on sharing experience: Place attachment as a mediator and length of stay as a moderator. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Insights, 6(1), 344–361. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTI-07-2021-0171
Wei, J., Yusof, M. J. M., & Abdul Shukor, S. F. (2025). A study on the construction and validation of pathways to sustainable participation in outdoor activities among Chinese elderly individuals. European Journal of Investigation in Health, Psychology and Education, 15(7), 116. https://doi.org/10.3390/ejihpe15070116
Williams, D. R., & Roggenbuck, J. W. (1989, October). Measuring place attachment: Some preliminary results [Conference paper]. National Recreation and Park Association Leisure Research Symposium, San Antonio, TX, United States.
Yuhan, S. H. A. O., Yuting, Y. I. N., & Zhenying, X. U. E. (2021). Evaluation and comparison of streetscape comfort in Beijing and Shanghai based on a big data approach with street images. Landscape Architecture, 28(1), 53–59. https://doi.org/10.14085/j.fjyl.2021.01.0053.07
Zhang, F., Sun, X., Liu, C., & Qiu, B. (2024). Effects of urban landmark landscapes on residents’ place identity: The moderating role of residence duration. Sustainability, 16(2), 761. https://doi.org/10.3390/su16020761
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Unported License.
Copyright & Creative Commons Licence
eISSN: 0128-0945 © Year. The Authors. Published for Malaysian Institute of Planners. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license.
The authors hold the copyright without restrictions and also retain publishing rights without restrictions.