The Knight Foundation funded a 3-year study across 26 cities to understand what drives resident attachment to their communities and how this matters. The study found that social offerings, openness, and aesthetics were the top drivers of attachment. Communities with higher attachment levels saw potential benefits like increased local GDP, population growth, and resident satisfaction. While economic factors did not directly influence attachment, the report suggests communities can improve vitality by focusing on these key attachment drivers.

1. Knight Soul of the Community:
What Attaches People to Where They Live and Why it Matters
A New Approach to Improving Communities
Based on Gallup Research

2. Soul of the Community
• 3-year, 26-city Gallup study
• Funded by Knight Foundation
• Understand resident attachment to place

3. Soul of the Community
Has captured the attention
and interest of:
• News Media
• National Organizations
• Philanthropy
• Community leaders and
elected officials
• Universities
• Knight communities
• Non-Knight communities

4. Survey Areas

5. A New Perspective
• Economic & community vitality
• Competitive advantage
• Talent recruitment and retention
• Resident attachment to community

6. What’s Attachment?
The psychological
connection of loyalty and
passion residents have
with the community in
which they live.

7. Key Attachment Drivers
#1 Social Offerings
#2 Openness
#3 Aesthetics

8. Benefits to Increased
Attachment
• Potential increase to local GDP
• Less population reduction, more growth
• Optimized talent pool
• Higher resident satisfaction
• Friendlier, more livable communities

9. Attachment to Place Matters in
Knight Communities
Local GDP Growth by Levels of Community Attachment
Correlation of Attachment and GDP Growth (02-06) = .431

10. It Might Surprise
• Economy/jobs not a main driver of attachment
• Attachment in communities remained
unchanged during recession
• What attaches people differs very little from
place to place

11. Strengths- Weaknesses Map
National

12. Strengths- Weaknesses Map
Performance
(Mean Rating)
Importance
(CorrelationWithAttachment)
Detroit (MSA)

13. Putting SOTC to Work
Each community has critical
opportunities and they have strengths
• Critical Opportunities – need attention
• Strengths – valuable assets

14. Final Take Away
Knowing how to improve community
vitality and economies by affecting key
drivers gives leadership a powerful tool to
create transformational change.

15. Knight’s Role
1. Create more informed and engaged
communities.
2. Inspire renewed resident engagement.
3. Spark new debates.