Place Attachment and Memory: Landscapes of Belonging as Experienced Post-migration

This paper examines the role of public spaces in developing emotions of place attachment by first generation migrants. We look at the role of memory, of both continuity and dislocation prompted by everyday experiences of local places among residents who had moved to the UK from a range of non-European countries. The research was focused on a neighbourhood in Sheffield, with participants producing on-site independently recorded audio to communicate their responses to being outdoors. Our findings indicate the scope of outdoor places to prompt memories and highlight connections between different periods of the participants' lives. Performance of familiar activities and reflections of values in public spaces were important in developing a sense of belonging at the local scale. A sense of 'personal fit' to places of residence can reflect transnational identities and sense of continuity over different life stages.