To leave or not to leave? An analysis of individual and neighbourhood characteristics shaping place attachment in Harare's selected informal settlements

Place attachment is one of the important characteristics of sustainable neighbourhoods. The dynamics of place attachment in deprived neighbourhoods remain under-researched, especially in Global South contexts. This paper examines how individual socio-demographic and neighbourhood characteristics influence place attachment in Harare's selected informal settlements, namely Hopley, Hatcliffe Extension, and Epworth Ward 7. These neighbourhoods were purposefully selected as Harare's largest informal settlements. The paper uses survey data collected from randomly sampled participants from the three neighbourhoods. These data were analyzed using binary logistic regression. Based on multivariate analysis, long-time residents were 2.35 times more likely (OR = 2.35, p < 0.01) to report high place attachment, when compared to newcomers. When compared to renters, owner-occupiers (OR = 2.91, p < 0.001) had higher odds of reporting high place attachment. Participants with savings were more likely (OR = 1.80, p < 0.05) to report high place attachment when compared with those who do not have savings. Neighbourhood reputation and neighbourhood safety positively influence place attachment in Harare's selected informal settlements. Surprisingly, those living in Epworth Ward 7 (OR = 0.48, p < 0.05) were less likely to report high place attachment. Nonetheless, this study demonstrates that residents of deprived neighbourhoods can develop high place attachment with their residential environments.