This paper has two aims: testing the Perceived Residential Environment Quality Indicators (PREQIs', Bonaiuto et al., 2003) factorial structure and reliability in the French context and testing a three-level model where more specific PREQIs cover the first level, more molar PREQIs about pace of life (i.e., the attribution of qualities such as stimulating vs. boring and relaxing vs. distressing) cover the second level, and neighbourhood attachment represents the final outcome variable. Participants (n = 383) were residents of Paris who filled in a questionnaire including the French version of the extended PREQIs and Neighbourhood Attachment (NA) scales (Bonaiuto et al., 2006). PREQIs are validated in France with 139 items and 19 indicators (plus one indicator composed of 8 items for place attachment). The path analysis model presents an indirect connection between some PREQIs and NA via pace of life indicators, which are influenced by PREQIs and are directly associated to NA. More specifically, different PREQIs affect different pace of life dimensions: the perception of a more relaxed neighbourhood is associated to a high quality of design features, environmental health, and safety, whereas the perception of a more stimulating neighbourhood is connected to the presence of human activities and services. (C) 2017 Societe Francaise de Psychologie. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

This paper presents two updated instruments measuring the inhabitants perceived quality of their neighbourhood in urban places. This sphere is part of the environmental domain, which is considered one of the four components in individuals overall quality of life (Group development of the World Health Organization WHOQOL, 1998). The instruments consist of 11 scales measuring perceived residential environment quality (PREQ) indicators and one scale measuring neighbourhood attachment (NA). PREQ scales are included in the four generative criteria as follows: three scales deal with spatial aspects (i.e. architectural-planning space, organisation and accessibility of space, green areas); one scale concerns human aspects (i.e. people and social relations); four scales relate to functional aspects (i.e. welfare, recreational, commercial and transportation services); three scales deal with contextual aspects (i.e. pace of life, environmental health, upkeep). The objectives are: a) to generalise the structure and number of both the PREQ and NA indexes (previously verified on various residential areas of a large city like Rome; see Landscape and Urban Planning 65 (2003) 41; Housing Surveys. Advances in Theory and Methods, Crad, Quebec, Canada (1997), 99) on medium- and low-extension cities; b) to improve the psychometric qualities (i.e. internal consistency coefficients) of the scales; c) to verify the capacity of PREQ and NA indexes to discriminate between cities. The instruments consist of a self-report questionnaire, which was administered to 1488 residents in different neighbourhoods of 11 Italian middle- and low-extension cities (from 50,000 to 400,000 inhabitants). Results confirm the factorial structure of the scales, which include 19 PREQ indexes and one NA index. The scales show an increased level of reliability with respect to previous studies. (c) 2006 Elsevier SAS. All rights reserved.

Two field studies examined the relations between environmental concern, regional identity, and support for the institution of natural protected areas. Multiple regression (Study 1, N = 316) and structural equation modeling (Study 2, N = 157) were performed to assess the role of general and specific proenvironmental attitudes and regional identity in predicting participants' support for two new protected areas in Italy. As expected, results show the positive role of general and specific proenvironmental attitudes, as well as the positive role of regional identity, in predicting support for the protected areas considered. Implications of the results for the enhancement of public levels of consensus in the designation and management of natural protected areas are discussed.

Within place theory, the research investigated relationships between activities carried out in a place and evaluative aspects of the same place. In the study, 152 inhabitants, ages 18 to 55, all living in the same neighborhood of Rome (Italy) were sampled by sex. An individual questionnaire included three scales to measure frequency of activities (23 items for neighborhood, 32 items for city center, and 11 items for suburbs) and a 47-item scale to measure degree of satisfaction/dissatisfaction toward various aspects of neighborhood. Multivariate data analyses identified four groups of inhabitants (neighborhood confined, marginal escape users, multiplace hyperactive, and quality users), each characterized by a specific pattern of multiplace urban activity. Each group was characterized by sociodemographic and/or residential variables. Finally, each group was also characterized by a specific pattern of neighborhood evaluations, with respect to three main aspects (building/population density and uninhabitability, social-spatial insecurity, and functional inadequacy/unavailability).