The Role of Resident-Place Identification in Mediating Consumption Localism and Mobility Intentions

Abstract

Residents' personal identification with places (regions, cities, towns, and so on) and with what places are supposed to stand for often determines their place-supportive attitudes and behaviors. However, little is known about how residents' identification with the characteristics of places and their adoption of place-related norms and values specifically affect residential mobility intentions and pro-local consumption tendencies, which are key topics in many spatial development plans and place marketing. The present study addresses this gap in the literature by using a structural equation modeling approach and a cross-place survey in Germany with 612 residents. The findings show that resident-place identification, on the basis of residential need satisfaction, increases residents' intentions to stay in a place and pro-local consumption preferences. These findings suggest that spatial planners and public managers can support the socioeconomic development of cities and regions and increase residents' willingness to stay in a place by strengthening their individual identification with places. We discuss the implications of our findings for the marketing and branding of places.