Abstract
This study investigated ways place attachment and sense of place can be applied to tourism planning and management to enhance community sustainability by maintaining the social, cultural, and environmental attributes valued by residents. Phase I used surveys to assess the predictive power of quantitative place attachment scales in three Hudson River Valley, New York, USA communities; Phase II explored qualitative place meanings expressed in focus groups by residents in the same three communities.
Analysis of the resident surveys revealed significant, positive relationships between participation in activities and length of residency, and place attachment. Engagement with the commons strengthened residents' connections with their home communities. The seven qualitative dimensions of sense of place that emerged in the focus group analysis can be applied to tourism planning and management by adapting existing policy tools. Exploring sense of place is a cooperative approach to tourism planning that helps establish common ground in communities.