Thuisvoelen in stedelijke vernieuwing: buurthechting in Nederlandse achterstandswijken

In transforming deprived areas into better places to live, much attention has been given to the physical, social and economic aspects of deprivation. However, little is known about the relationship between deprivation and emotional ties: do residents in deprived areas feel at home in their neighbourhood? In this article, the emotional ties of Dutch residents to their neighbourhood are investigated and compared over time between neighbourhoods.
The results show that residents in deprived areas feel less at home in their neighbourhood and that their emotional attachment is further reduced by urban renewal. However, deprived areas in the Netherlands demonstrate clear progress in increasing the emotional ties of residents to their neighbourhood; although they lag behind, they are catching up. Being involved in their community, in particular, made Dutch residents feel more at home. Moving house had a strong negative effect on neighbourhood attachment. This especially affects residents in deprived areas who are often forced to relocate when their houses are being demolished or upgraded.