Exploring the validity of visitors' place attachment in Yangmingshan National Park, Taiwan

This study explores the ways in which visitors use and perceive the settings in Yangmingshan National Park, Taiwan, and provides an understanding of how and why people relate to open space in a non-western city. The purpose of this study is to validate the constructs of place attachment identified by Williams and Vaske (2003) and Williams and Roggenbuck (1989) for a non-Western site. Two qualitative phases (i.e., observations and face-to-face interviews) were used to obtain in-depth information about visitors' perceptions toward the park. The objectives of this study were: (1) To explore the elements comprising the dimensions of place attachment (including place identity and place dependence) for male and female users in Yangmingshan National Park; (2) To qualitatively examine how use of place influences place attachment in Yangmingshan National Park for males and females; and (3) To qualitatively compare the elements of place attachment identified for users in Yangmingshan National Park with those identified in previous place attachment studies for western sites (Williams & Vaske, 2003; Williams & Roggenbuck, 1989). The results indicate that similarities exist between visitors' use and perceptions of sites and previously identified dimensions of place attachment (place identity and place dependence).; Keywords. place attachment, place identity, place dependence...