Place and Emotional Attachment to University Campuses: A Case Study

Noran El Begarmy (Teaching Assistant, The American University in Cairo, Department of Architecture, School of Sciences and Engineering)

University campus life for students is a significant experience that allows for learning, self-discovery and social interaction. Few researches have addressed the attachment with the place for undergraduate and graduate students on campus. 'Place Attachment', 'Place Identity' and 'Sense of Place' are concepts that describe the quality of people's relationships with a place. This paper explores the influence and intensity of campus environment, particularly its physical elements, on the development of place attachment and place identity at the new campus of The American University in Cairo, Egypt (AUC). The aim is to understand the depth and complexity of the meanings associated with human-place attachment. The main data gathering instrument was an online photo-questionnaire investigating the influence physical and architectural environment, social environment, cultural and academic environment, have on place attachment and place identity. The chosen architectural features were landmarks, buildings, gardens, entrances and shops, identified by the students. Selection of images were chosen to project the essence the campus day and night to observe which the students identified more with. The sample were 120 AUC male and female students, of which 81% were Egyptians, the rest foreigners, from various majors. They were surveyed in seven months, spanning the fall and spring semesters. Selected architectural features have positively affected student-place relationship to campus giving value to the life of the students. Results showed that students relate to activities in space, to accessible open spaces and to the social aspects of campus spaces. Graduate students showed relatively strong attachment to the campus, but weaker sense of identity. Study level for undergraduates proved to be a variable affecting the extent of place attachment and place identity to campus. The paper discusses the results and proposes further research addressing the influential architectural attributes and activities, that affect students’ place attachment and sense of identity.