Does attachment to a third place influence individual behaviours across different geographical scales?: The case of the Imagination Station.

Type of content
Theses / Dissertations
Publisher's DOI/URI
Thesis discipline
Marketing
Degree name
Master of Commerce
Publisher
University of Canterbury
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Language
English
Date
2021
Authors
Huang, Yuying
Abstract

Civil society requires the provision of distinctive public places for informal public gatherings in order to nurture human associations and relationships. Such spaces are often described as ‘third places’. Growing evidence has shown that the third places have significant impacts on their vicinity and can contribute to urban regeneration. Third places can not only provide the public gathering places for relaxation and socialisation but also influence individual behavioural intentions at different geographical scales. The current study focused on a third place, namely the Imagination Station, located in the Tūranga Library in the city centre of Christchurch, New Zealand and investigated the relationships between perceived servicescapes and behavioural intentions at different geographical scales, mediated by place attachment. Following a review of the literature on place attachment, perceived physical and social servicescapes, and behavioural intentions across different geographical scales, this study established a theoretical framework based on the Stimulus-Organism-Response paradigm. From 406 valid questionnaires completed by the adult visitors of the Imagination Station, the results indicated that both perceived physical and social servicescapes of third places could influence the individual’s behavioural intentions at different geographical scales via the mediating role of place attachment. Specifically, perceived physical servicescapes in non- manipulable object spaces can positively and indirectly influence behavioural intentions across different geographical scales through the mediating role of place attachment. Physical appearance of perceived social servicescape in non-manipulable object spaces can positively and indirectly influence purchase intention in non-manipulable object spaces and desire to stay, mediating by place attachment. Place attachment also had a direct and negative effect on revisit intention in environmental spaces. This study has theoretical implications by extending the literature related to place attachment, perceived servicescapes, third places, and urban regeneration, as well as practical implications for individual, organisational, and destination resilience especially in post-disaster areas. Limitations and future research avenues are also detailed.

Description
Citation
Keywords
place attachment, third place, servicescape, behavioural intention, urban services
Ngā upoko tukutuku/Māori subject headings
ANZSRC fields of research
Rights
All Rights Reserved