Mediating Power of Place Attachment for Urban Residents’ Well-Being in Community Cohesion

The structure and interpersonal interactions of traditional residential communities have also been impacted and recreated as a result of the fast development of urban space and related communities. This study explores the interrelationship between neighborhood social cohesion and the life satisfaction of urban adult residents through the mediating effect of place attachment. A comprehensive theoretical model was constructed to analyze the action mechanism among these variables. Data were collected through an online questionnaire platform (n = 301), and structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed for analysis. The findings revealed a significant positive relationship between neighborhood social cohesion and residents’ place attachment. Place attachment appeared to play a mediating role between neighborhood social cohesion and life satisfaction, in which place dependence was also a potential effective mediator between the three dimensions of neighborhood social cohesion (neighborliness, sense of community, and neighborhood attractiveness) and life satisfaction. The results suggest that enhancing community cohesion may contribute to urban adult residents’ well-being by strengthening their functional dependence on the community.