Place attachment and acceptance of smart city technologies

Abstract

Recent studies on smart cities have emphasised that smart solution initiatives should take into account citizens’ different needs and concerns. The main aim of this paper is to examine the role of different types of place attachment – emotional bonds that residents have with their city – in predicting the acceptance of future smart city technologies. In our study conducted among residents of multiple cities in Poland (N = 627), we found that while active place attachment (i.e. conscious identification with a place) predicted more favourable attitudes towards enabling technologies, traditional (natural and unintentional) place attachment was positively associated with acceptance of surveillance technologies regarding everyday monitoring and anti–Covid-19 measures. We also found that the relationship between place attachment and acceptance of future technologies is partially mediated by the use of existing smart city technologies. The implications for city governments and planners are discussed.