TITLE:
Place Attachment in Seven Areas of Tirana, Albania
AUTHORS:
Peter Nientied, Sotir Dhamo, Dorina Papa, Merita Toska
KEYWORDS:
Place Attachment, Place Identity, Tirana, Albania, Balkans
JOURNAL NAME:
Current Urban Studies,
Vol.7 No.2,
June
20,
2019
ABSTRACT: Little
is known about place attachment in the Balkans. This study aims to start
filling this gap. After a contextualization of place attachment studies in the
Balkans and its relevance for research and practice, a brief review of theory
is offered. Then the methodology of the empirical part of the study is clarified.
Over 300 citizens living in seven different neighborhoods of Tirana have been
interviewed on place attachment issues such as sense of belonging, familiarity,
self-identification and neighborhood experience. The results of the empirical
study show that place attachment in Tirana is quite positive. The findings and
analysis indicate that place attachment indicators do not vary significantly
according to educational level, gender and age, but do correlate with length of residence. It also appeared that place attachment indicators are higher in well-established neighborhoods compared
to the new high-rise areas. The study concludes with recommendations for
follow-up research, specifically qualitative research on citizens’ meanings of
place attachment and study on place attachment related to responsible behavior.