Abstract

This paper explores the meaning of place attachment and its connection to location and locale in the context of the urban neighbourhood. The concept of place is conceptualised in terms of the setting in which social relations are constituted, the effects upon locales of social and economic processes and the creation of a sense of place, defined as the local ‘structure of feeling’ (Williams 1977). Drawing on data gathered from residents in marginalised neighbourhoods across six European cities, the paper explicates the meaning of place in the everyday life of the community. Place is frequently construed through a repository of shared memories and traditions. A sense of place rooted in the past is deployed as a resource to mobilise around the challenges of the present. Feelings of place attachment resonate as a significant marker of identity and community even as sense of place is challenged by the developments in modern city places.