What Makes a Neighborhood Cool? Establishing a Neighborhood Coolness Scale

Abstract

The purpose of this master’s thesis is to understand how residents perceive the coolness of the neighborhood they live in and how neighborhood coolness impacts their attitudes and behaviors. To get a better understanding of neighborhood coolness from the resident perspective, the authors conducted qualitative pre-study interviews with residents from Copenhagen. Using these findings, the authors developed a quantitative questionnaire, which was completed by 441 residents from Denmark and the United States. The data was then analyzed with Partial Least Square-Structural Equation Modeling. The authors find that residents perceive cool neighborhoods to be local, lively, diverse, aesthetic, green and safe. The authors developed a reliable and valid neighborhood coolness scale. Neighborhood coolness positively influences behavioral and attitudinal outcome variables such as like, satisfaction, quality of life, word of mouth, intention to stay, willingness to pay more, local business support, community engagement, neighborhood-self connection and residents’ support of tourism. Post-hoc analyses have been conducted on country differences and the direct impact of dimensions on outcome variables. This study makes theoretical contributions to the research areas of coolness, residents, and tourism. The results of the paper offer valuable insights for decision-makers on how residents perceive cool neighborhoods to live in and recommendations which can be used to create cool neighborhoods.