Sense of place and satisfaction with landscaping in post-earthquake housing areas: the case of Edremit TOKI-Van (Turkey)

Abstract

Objectives

This research aimed to provide a greater insight into the relationship between feelings of satisfaction with the landscaping and the sense of place, particularly emphasizing on the planning and landscape design of post-disaster housing environments for the enhancement of the victims’ and other residents’ well-being on the case of Edremit TOKİ (Van) post-earthquake housing area which was built after the devastating earthquakes in 2011.

Methodology

The residents’ satisfaction with various parts of landscaping in the housing area; their place identity, place attachment and place dependence characteristics as part of their sense of place; and the interrelations between these were examined through a questionnaire survey. The data collected from 235 locals were subjected to two types of factor analysis including both explanatory and structural equation modelling (SEM) in order to create a model.

Conclusions

According to the SEM results, the proposed model based on the hypothesis, which states that “there are positive relationship between the sense of place and satisfaction with landscaping,” was not supported. In contrast, a negative relationship was found between the satisfaction with landscaping and sense of place. This suggests that when the respondents’ sense of place has increased, it is likely that there might be lower satisfaction with the landscaping they have.

Originality

This study is original in two aspects; first being focused on the diverse dimensions of landscaping different from the studies mostly dealing with vegetation and visual quality; second being investigated the relationship amongst the satisfaction with landscaping, sense of place and the sub-components of these concepts in a post-earthquake residential area.