2023 Volume 25 Issue 2 Pages 11-20
Prior studies on restorative environments have demonstrated that high levels of restorative characteristics can enhance environmental preferences. As environmental preference plays a crucial role in the development of place attachment, high levels of restorative characteristics in the environment may serve as a predictor of place attachment. However, there has been a lack of investigation into the relationship between high levels of restorative characteristics in a neighborhood and neighborhood attachment. In this study, we created a scale to assess the restorative characteristics of neighborhood environments and examined the impact of these characteristics on attachment to the area. The scales measuring community restorativeness and community attachment were developed using item response theory. As a result, a scale was created to evaluate the restorative characteristics of the neighborhood environment, including items that assess the quality of the townscape, urban and non-urban nature, the social cohesiveness of the community, and the presence of places for distraction and rejuvenation. Path analysis results indicated that the strength of attachment to the neighborhood was influenced by the sense of restoration in the area, general restorative characteristics of the neighborhood, social cohesiveness, and non-urban nature.
