Place attachment in stigmatized settings: a study based on community experience in Costa Rica (Apego al lugar en contextos estigmatizados: un estudio desde la experiencia comunitaria en Costa Rica)

ABSTRACT Research into place attachment theory has traditionally focused on the positive values associated with territories, leaving to one side the analysis of phenomena where the construction of socio-physical bonds is marked by ambivalence, as in the case of territorial stigma. With a view to contributing further information to existing knowledge on this topic, the research presented here aims to explore the dimensions involved in place attachment in relation to stigmatized urban communities in Costa Rica. This study applies a qualitative approach, carrying out interviews and applying participatory mapping. The results have been grouped into five dimensions and three maps, which show that place attachment in the communities studied here is marked by socio-affective bonds, the socio-demographic characteristics of their residents, urban centrality, territorial management and criminality. Based on the information generated, we conclude that place attachment is a complex phenomenon and is shaped by socio-political attributes that require more in-depth exploration.