Fostering Place Attachment Through Activity: Insights from Qaisaria Buildings in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq –Koya and Kifri as Case Studies

Place attachment represents a fundamental concept for understanding how individuals establish emotional, social, and cognitive ties to the built environment. In the setting of traditional marketplaces, this relationship is commonly shaped by repetitive human activities that reinforce both spatial identity and cultural meaning. The Qaisaria buildings situated in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq reflect this interplay, functioning as both commercial spaces and community anchors that conserve historical heritage. Despite the popularity of Qaisaria buildings as vibrant gathering spaces, there is limited understanding of how activity influences people's social interaction and attachment to these historic environments. This study aims to investigate how daily activities—such as trade, social gatherings, and cultural exchanges—contribute to strengthening place attachment in two historical Qaisaria buildings located in Koya and Kifri. A mixed-method research design was employed, incorporating qualitative interviews alongside a structured questionnaire as a secondary data collection tool. One hundred sixty questionnaires were distributed to local users (80 per site), assessing six dimensions of place attachment using a five-point Likert scale. The results revealed a contrast between the two sites: while activity in Kifri significantly influenced all dimensions of place attachment, Koya impacted only functional aspects such as Place dependence and place expectation. Koya's emotional and social bonds and other dimensions appeared to depend on other contextual factors beyond activity. The study concludes that the impact of activity on place attachment is context-dependent, shaped by each site's urban, historical, and social conditions. These findings emphasize the importance of integrating dynamic activities in heritage preservation policies to strengthen historic marketplaces' social and functional continuity.