Conserving the rural landscape of the texas hill country: a place identity-based approach

摘要

Landscape change induced by population growth and urban development isimpacting the ecosystem goods and services provided by open space, which is essentialto supporting many urban and rural populations. Conserving open space cannot beattained without obtaining public support especially in a state like Texas where mostopen space is privately owned. This dissertation was aimed at exploring the role of placeidentity as an intrinsic incentive for landowner involvement in conserving open spacethreatened by landscape change. Four objectives addressed in this research include: 1)defining place identity and identifying its underlying dimensions; 2) developing andrefining a place-identity scale; 3) developing and testing a conceptual framework toexplain the relationships among commitment, place identity, behavior/behavioralintention to manifest place identity, and perception of landscape change; and 4) drawingimplications for open space conservation. Identity theory and identity control theorywere applied to conceptualize place identity and develope structural models forhypothesis testing. Place identity was defined as comprising meanings that individualsascribe to a place through their interaction with that place and become defining elementsof their self-identity. Both qualitative and quantitative methods were used in thisresearch. Results from semi-structured interviews with a convenience sample oflandowners in the Texas Hill Country were used to develop the place-identity scale.Survey data from randomly selected Hill Country landowners were used in confirmatoryfactor analysis, mean and covariance structure analysis, and invariance testing based on the covariance structure to test and refine measures, to compare differences betweenlandowner groups, and to test hypotheses. Findings suggested that identity theory andidentity control theory provided valuable insight to place identity in the face of change.Results also supported a model of place identity comprised of cognitive and affectivedimensions, and identified variations among individuals in their affective place-identity.Moreover, findings indicated that both dimensions exhibited different effects onidentity-related behavior/behavioral intention under the influence of landscape change.Implications were provided for engaging landowners in open space conservation. Thisdissertation addresses several research gaps, and also raises questions important inunderstanding and applying place identity to promoting conservation.