Place Attachment and Community Development

Place attachment is a multidimensional concept about bonds people have for the places with which they interact. We are intrigued by its implications and potential influences on community development, particularly when explored from a community-oriented view. We use the case of Sunnyslope (a place within the Phoenix, Arizona municipal boundary) and a community development assessment conducted with stakeholders there. This community has survived through the decades, despite being subsumed into one of the largest cities in the United States. From 27 stakeholder interviews, we uncovered deep attachments to Sunnyslope that appear to have an interaction effect with social community capacity.