Determinants of Women’s Place Attachment in Middle-Income Neighborhoods of Santiago, Chile

Place attachment contributes to urban resilience, identity, and well-being by fostering a sense of belonging and emotional connection to place. In contexts of urban transformation and socio-spatial inequality, understanding its determinants is essential for improving urban livability and inclusive urban environments. This study examines how women’s place attachment is influenced by individual, social, and built-environment factors in middle-income central and peri-central neighborhoods of Santiago, Chile. A key contribution is the inclusion of personal values in explaining place attachment, extending previous socio-spatial research. Data were collected through simple random sampling from 586 women residing in six middle-income neighborhoods of Santiago. Structural equation modeling was applied to analyze relationships between individual characteristics, personal values, social cohesion, accessibility, and subjective and objective built-environment conditions. Results show that working outside the home, length of residence, personal values, social cohesion, accessibility, aesthetic quality, and perceived comfort and insecurity significantly influence women’s place attachment. Built-environment characteristics related to accessibility and comfort emerge as key mechanisms shaping emotional attachment to urban neighborhoods. Findings highlight the importance of improving accessibility while maintaining neighborhood residential structure in middle-income areas undergoing urban transformation. Overall, the study provides empirical evidence on socio-spatial processes shaping women’s place attachment and contributes to understanding spatial equity, urban well-being, and inclusive urban environments in a Latin American metropolis.