Placemaking as affective practice: Navigating pathways of connection and fragmentation

This study investigates how affect takes shape in placemaking, and which underlying drivers influence the creation or consolidation of a connective sense of place. Drawing on 30 interviews with placemakers, residents, and municipal actors in Rotterdam, Zoetermeer, and Vlaardingen, the research uses narrative walks to explore affective experiences in three urban placemaking projects. Walking interviews proved particularly effective in revealing how affective dynamics unfold in situ, offering insight into the relational undercurrents of spatial transformation. The analysis shows that affect in placemaking is not inherently connective. Instead, it manifests in multiple, sometimes conflicting forms. Based on empirical patterns, the study introduces a typology of affect (disruptive, dissociative, transmissive, and coalescent). To conceptualize these findings, an axis model was developed that maps affect along two dimensions: connecting vs. fragmenting, and near vs. distant. This model offers a more operational lens than the often abstract notion of sense of place, highlighting affect's reflexive and diagnostic potential. The study identifies three key drivers that shape affective outcomes: governance structures, spatial context, and relational dynamics. When space is co-produced, when actors are locally embedded, and when institutional support is sustained, placemaking tends to foster stronger affective bonds. Ultimately, the study argues that affect should not be seen merely as an outcome of placemaking, but as a guiding principle, one that can help steer urban transformation towards more inclusive and grounded futures.