Private property rights versus scenic views: a battle over place attachments

Abstract

In the West, some of the most volatile political debates revolve around land-use issues. Much sociological research has focused on the relationship between length of residence and attitudes towards the environment, land-use and growth controls, but very little has investigated the relationship between place attachments and attitudes. Through depth interviews with 90 residents of Nevada County, California, I investigate the relationship between place attachments and attitudes toward local land-use issues. I develop a typology that illustrates the influence of attachments to place on attitudes towards land-use issues. This typology is illustrated through the discussion of local land-use issues.