Feeling metropolitan: A framework for place attachment in metropolitan regions

Abstract

Place attachment involves cognitive and emotional elements that connect individuals and groups to specific places. While extensively studied, its expression at the metropolitan scale remains underexplored. This article addresses that gap by introducing the concept of spatial consciousness – comprising phenomenal, representational and intentional dimensions – as a key element of metropolitan attachment. Building on this concept, I propose an analytical framework with three core components of metropolitan place attachment: mental image, symbols and collective action. The framework is applied through a qualitative study of the Urban Master Plan for the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (2011–2023), the first metropolitan plan in the region to incorporate citizen participation. Urban plans organise space and establish centralities and connections, while participatory mechanisms in metropolitan planning offer inhabitants opportunities to reflect on their relationship with the territory and to consider the metropolitan region as a coherent whole. By studying the observations of citizens and representatives of civil society in the process of citizen participation, as well as the views of the team responsible for the urban plan, I identify the components of metropolitan attachment. My findings suggest that such attachment in Barcelona is relatively weak among citizens and primarily shaped by cognitive elements. This study contributes to the literature on place attachment by highlighting the role of spatial consciousness in shaping attachment at the metropolitan scale.