Shaping Urban Identity: How Physical and Non-Physical Factors Influence Resident Perception

Socio-cultural and ecological elements, which extend beyond a place’s physical form, are integral to place identity. Research shows that place identity is fluid and contested. Scholars have approached urban identity from multiple angles, including the physical structure of urban environments (e.g., Kevin Lynch) and the patterns of human experience within them (e.g., Christopher Alexander). Drawing on affordance theory and environmental behaviour studies, this study examines how human perception shapes urban identity while promoting environmental equity. Based on residents’ preferences, it identifies 19 distinct groupings that contribute to urban identity and supports the view that perceptions of urban identity incorporate an affordance-based understanding of the environment. The findings demonstrate that, in Vietnamese cities, the cultivation and conservation of identity values can coexist with urbanisation. The study also offers recommendations for Vietnam and for other cities with similar cultural and geographic characteristics.