Jaue2025-036 The Impact of Emotional Attachment and Perceived Costs on Spontaneous Renovation: An SEM Study of Existing Residential Buildings

Abstract

China possesses a massive stock of existing residential buildings with outdated performance. Spontaneous renovation by residents serves as a vital approach to enhancing living quality, extending building service life, and boosting economic vitality. Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and incorporating 84 initial influencing factors identified through preliminary interviews, this study constructs a structural equation model (SEM). Through questionnaire surveys and validation via Amos software, the research reveals a synergistic "cost control–emotional attachment" mechanism as the core of renovation decision-making. Specifically, perceived renovation costs drive renovation intention through dual pathways, while emotional attachment to the residence simultaneously strengthens renovation attitudes and intentions, exerting significantly greater influence than technical convenience factors. Recommendations include developing modular renovation tool-kits to reduce economic barriers, establishing community memory revitalization mechanisms to foster emotional connections, and integrating high-demand areas such as bathrooms and balconies into prioritized subsidy catalogues to incentivize resident participation in sustainable housing regeneration.