Analytical Model and Interrelation of Factors Influencing Sense of Community in University Spaces (Case Study: Universities in Isfahan Province)

The design of university spaces plays a pivotal role not only in supporting students’ academic endeavors but also in fostering their psychological well-being and sense of community. In recent years, researchers and educators have increasingly recognized that students’ connection to their university environment—both physically and socially—contributes meaningfully to their engagement, persistence, and satisfaction. However, many university campuses, particularly in the Iranian context, fall short in nurturing this sense of belonging. Students often experience isolation, emotional disconnection, and a lack of ownership over their educational environments. Addressing this issue requires a more rigorous understanding of how architectural and spatial qualities influence students’ emotional and social experiences.

This study presents an analytical model to evaluate the relationships among architectural design factors and their influence on students' sense of community in university environments. Drawing on environmental psychology, spatial behavior theory, and prior design research, the study proposes that students’ social integration is shaped by a layered structure of spatial experiences. The model was tested through a quantitative survey of 397 students from five universities in Isfahan province, Iran. A structured questionnaire measured seven core constructs derived from the literature and field studies: rootedness, possession, restoration and recreation, at-easiness, warmth, academic involvement, and emotional connection. Each construct was assessed through a set of statements on a five-point Likert scale. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using the Partial Least Squares (PLS-SEM) technique via SmartPLS software was employed to analyze the relationships between the constructs.

The findings reveal that the construct “feeling at home” in the university setting plays a central and highly significant role in enhancing students’ overall sense of community. This overarching factor is influenced by five architectural and psychological components: rootedness, possession, restoration and recreation, at-easiness, and warmth. Among these, restoration and recreation (β = 0.365) and possession (β = 0.308) emerged as the most influential contributors to the feeling of being at home. These results suggest that spaces which allow students to relax, recover from academic stress, engage in informal interactions, and exercise control over their environment foster a stronger emotional bond with the university space. Possession, in particular, was found to have a dual effect by enhancing both rootedness and at-easiness, indicating that the ability to personalize space or have access to semi-private zones encourages a deeper attachment to place. Likewise, rootedness and warmth were found to reinforce one another, showing how social familiarity and comfort in space are mutually reinforcing.

Beyond the immediate experience of the built environment, the study also confirmed the importance of two reinforcing factors: academic involvement (β = 0.231) and emotional connection (β = 0.167), both of which contribute directly to the formation of a social sense of community. The relationship between emotional connection and academic involvement (β = 0.399) underscores the interdependence between emotional security and active participation. Together, these findings led to the development of a three-tiered conceptual model that includes foundational factors (rootedness, possession, restoration and recreation, at-easiness, warmth), facilitating factors (possession, restoration), and reinforcing factors (emotional and academic engagement).

This analytical model provides a structured framework for understanding how different layers of architectural and psychological experience work together to support or inhibit students’ sense of community in higher education spaces. The results emphasize the need for university designers and planners to move beyond utilitarian planning and adopt a more human-centered approach that prioritizes students’ emotional needs, social integration, and ownership of space. This model can also serve as a diagnostic tool for evaluating existing spaces and guiding renovations or new constructions.