In the study reported in this paper the role of social cohesion, residential satisfaction and place identification are examined for their effect on place-related social identity and its consequential impact on attitudes to environmental sustainability. Two neighbourhoods in Guildford, Surrey, England were selected on the basis of their social histories, housing types and socio-economic composition. Ninety residents in each neighbourhood were sampled. Research methods included cognitive mapping and a questionnaire survey. A structural equation model was used to analyse the co-variances between the different factors. The results show clear differences between both neighbourhoods in terms of residential satisfaction, with only some differences in terms of identification and social cohesion and sustainability. Conclusions drawn which suggest an important relationship between identity and sustainability behaviour which is suggestive for future research.

This paper explores some of the discursive practices through which the place meanings are formulated, warranted and, above all, contested. Drawing particularly on the work of the social psychologist Michael Billig, we present a rhetorical analysis of newspaper reports and interview accounts about the 'development' of a contested public space in Barcelona, known locally both as Figuera's Well and the Hole of Shame. This analysis explores a number of rhetorically opposed constructions of the nature, purpose and appropriate beneficiaries of this place, whose implications are discussed both within the context of local power struggles and within the context of wider ideological struggles over the nature of public spaces in Barcelona. We argue that a rhetorical perspective reveals how practices of attributing meaning and value to places is often more conflict-ridden, action-oriented, and politically-charged than is implied by much research in environmental psychology. Relatedly, we argue that environmental psychologists need to complement a 'weak' conception of the role of conflict in the formation of public space (focused on subjective differences in environmental tastes, preferences and values) with a 'strong' conception of the role of conflict (focused on ideological struggles over access, equality and inclusion).

The City-Identity-Sustainability (CIS) Research Network aims to investigate the relationship between several conditions and processes that shape social identity—such as the quality of the urban area, residents’satisfaction, community identification, and sense of cohesion—and the relationship between these factors, taken as a whole, and sustainability. The objective of the project was to determine whether the presence of these factors favors sustainability and, likewise, whether the absence of some of the factors impedes sustainability. The CIS Network carried out its research in seven sites in Latin America and Europe, using the same questionnaire in each setting and complementing it with local qualitative research. The results showed a reasonable fit to the structural models of the hypothesized relationships. In light of the results, the research network suggests social and environmental intervention strategies to promote sustainability. This article focuses on the theoretical construction of the models.

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a b s t r a c tThis article reintroduces the concept of 'appropriation of space' into current theoretical debates and empirical approaches in environmental psychology. We present an analysis of a case study conducted in a Barcelona metropolitan river corridor, aimed at exploring how the development of people-place bonds can foster pro-environmental behaviours in a natural open space.The multi-method qualitative analysis based on participant observation, documentary research and interviews with 57 inhabitants reveals a long-term process of appropriation of the riverside environment that typically results in a sense of responsibility of the subject towards it. The article specifically shows that the time factor is crucial in the explanation of the process of appropriation, and that future longitudinal studies in this and other cases will be required to assess more accurately its importance. Finally, we stress the benefits of taking proper advantage of citizens' cumulative awareness of the management of river corridors.