Exploring multiple dimensions of attachment to historic urban places, a case study of Edinburgh, Scotland

Wang, Y. (2023) Exploring multiple dimensions of attachment to historic urban places, a case study of Edinburgh, Scotland. International Journal of Heritage Studies, 29(5), pp. 428-440. (doi: 10.1080/13527258.2023.2193817)

Abstract

This paper is concerned with people’s attachments to historic urban places they experience in their daily lives. The topic has received growing emphasis in the realm of heritage studies, given its importance to the conservation and management of historic urban environments. Drawing on qualitative data collected from thirty in-depth interviews carried out in Edinburgh, Scotland, I explore the multiple ways in which (known as dimensions in place attachment literature) people develop attachments to historic urban places: from a kind of autobiographic attachments which were grounded in their everyday living and memories, and those of their families to intellectual attachments wherein they showcased their deep appreciation for the attributes that define a historic place. I also seek to demonstrate a class-specific nature of attachments at the intellectual level, adding a politicised view to the complexity of the phenomenon. In so doing, I demonstrate the many ways in which historic places are important to people’s enjoyment of lives in the city, and the various roles the history of places and/or their historic attributes played in forging such attachments. I conclude the paper with discussions on findings related to the current state of knowledge in place attachment research and implications for heritage practices.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The work was supported by the Urban Studies Foundation.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Wang, Mr Yang
• Authors: Wang, Y.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Social and Political Sciences > Urban Studies
• Journal Name: International Journal of Heritage Studies
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis
• ISSN: 1352-7258
• ISSN (Online): 1470-3610
• Published Online: 23 March 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2023 The Author
• First Published: First published in International Journal of Heritage Studies 29(5): 428-440
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License