The role of public spaces in creating place attachment (example of Zacisze, Warsaw housing estate)

Abstract

This article raises the question of place attachment in the context of an increasingly important factor, that is the use of gathering and leisure places. The author publishes findings of a survey conducted among the residents of Zacisze, Warsaw, a detached housing estate with a very poor range of public places for gathering and leisure. The study has proved that the use of local public spaces, as a specific category of place, reinforces attachment to the whole housing estate. The study also confirms the important role that social factors have in building place attachment. Conditions already exist for considering social factors more important than physical ones in building a positive relationship with a territory.