Paper short abstract:

Reykjavík´s city center is going through a lot of changes on its built environment. One part of the change is that old houses are moved from their original location. The aim here is to explore how it affect some of the resident's place attachment.

Paper long abstract:

Reykjavík´s city center has gone through various changes over the years. Recent years, major changes have occurred. New houses have been built and some of the old houses, even listed houses, are moved from their original location to make space for the new ones.

We have seen lively public discussions and disputes about various sites in Reykjavík´s city center - in the media and on various blog sites - talking questions of conservation and revitalization. But how does the change affect the public, the locals?

How does it affect them when houses which have always been there are moved to another location and are no longer there?

In this study few residents of the city were interviewed so their voice could be heard and taking in to an account in the debate.

The objective is to explore the ways the locals relate to the buildings and sites and how, and if, the change affects their place attachment focusing on old listed houses that are moved or need to be moved to make room for new buildings.

What is the relationship between the research participants and the center of their hometown? How does the change affect them and why?

Is it because of their values, or their aesthetic experience and does the visibility of the house in the surroundings matter?

Houses are integral part of the city, so when new houses are built or old moved the whole place change, with unavoidably disturbance on the resident's place attachment.