The moderating effect of visual landscape and soundscape on place attachment in world cultural heritage: a case study in Kulangsu, China

In the realm of sustainable city planning, a nuanced understanding of how individuals perceive environmental elements and their emotional responses holds paramount importance. The purpose of this study was to investigate how individuals perceive the audiovisual environment and its relationship to place attachment within Kulangsu, a World Cultural Heritage site. Specifically, the researchers explored the moderating effects among soundscape characteristics (pleasantness and eventfulness), visual landscape satisfaction, and place attachment. The study employed on-site questionnaires to collect data from participants. Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and stratified regression analyses were used to explore moderating effects. Our findings revealed that participants hold positive views toward both soundscape and visual landscape, with functional dependence on place outweighing emotional attachment. Key insights emerged: (1) various characteristics of the soundscape yield different moderating effects. Specifically, highly pleasant or minimally eventful soundscapes significantly strengthen the positive impact of visual landscape satisfaction on place attachment. (2) visual landscape emerges as a crucial moderator and high visual satisfaction amplifies the positive impact of a pleasant soundscape, while lower satisfaction intensifies the positive effect of an eventful soundscape on attachment. (3) the positive correlations between visual landscape and soundscape remain stable, unaffected by the moderating influence of place attachment. These results suggest that both soundscape and visual elements shape attachment differently, providing actionable insights for urban planners aiming to create sustainable, culturally sensitive environment, especially within World Cultural Heritage sites. The findings offer a holistic perspective on the dynamic interplay between individuals and their urban environments, informing global urban policy.