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Mah 2009 , Entitled Devastation But Research Proposal

Likewise, the association between 'family' and home is reflective of conservative belief systems and the desire to preserve traditional family values. Mah (2009) further notes that there are several definitions regarding the concept of place attachment, in previous literature. However, most of these definitions center on an affective bond between an individual and landscape. Low (1992) describes a distinction between the cultural and psychological definitions of place attachment. Low states, "Place attachment is the symbolic relationship formed by people giving cultural share emotional/affective meanings to a particular space or piece of land that provides the basis for the individual's and group's understanding of and relation the environment" (p. 166). Mah uses this cultural definition of place attachment, and then relates it to the social and economic processes.

Mah (2009) found that in Walker, the community members were proud of their community's strength, as it had endured through socioeconomic decline. This was something the members would fight to preserve, battling to prevent their physical houses from being demolished when efforts to regenerate the community were made. These community members, however, were very aware of the social and economic deprivation their community was suffering from. They understood the social issues that were affecting them, including drug and alcohol abuse and crime. The residents faced dislocation from their homes, with the regeneration, and as such suffered from anxiety,...

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Although the community members longed for the lost social structures of family and work that they had once experienced in the community. They also felt a strong sense of spatial, social and racial exclusion from the larger community of Niagara Falls. The residents of Highland, in contrast to Walker, were not facing dislocation but were faced with negative health and socioeconomic effects. Despite these challenges, Highland community members continued to build new homes and make improvements on existing homes.
Mah's (2009) research showed that community cohesion through place attachment is not necessarily a positive means of fostering community development, such as seen in both communities of Walker and Highland. However, this cohesion can help community members band together and help shape local policies. It also has the advantage of community members coming together and supporting one another, when faced with hardships, as both communities have shown.

References

Low, S. 1992. Place attachment, human behavior, and environment. New York: Plenum.

Mah, A. (Nov 2009). Devastation but also home place attachment in areas of industrial decline. Home Cultures, 6(3). Retrieved December 10, 2009, from Academic Search Complete.

Mallett, S. (2004). Understanding home: A critical review of the literature.…

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References

Low, S. 1992. Place attachment, human behavior, and environment. New York: Plenum.

Mah, A. (Nov 2009). Devastation but also home place attachment in areas of industrial decline. Home Cultures, 6(3). Retrieved December 10, 2009, from Academic Search Complete.

Mallett, S. (2004). Understanding home: A critical review of the literature. Sociological Review, 52(1). Retrieved December 10, 2009, from Academic Search Complete.
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