1. Introduction
Gentrification is a common phenomenon in today’s society, especially in the field of urban renewal and construction [
1]. As shown in
Figure 1 and
Figure 2, Xi’an, China, has seen a significant reduction in cultivated land in nine years due to the expansion of building land as a result of its urbanization; and the distribution and size of buildings in Xi’an has undergone significant changes in the past 10 years, with a tendency to expand from the center to the periphery, where urbanization and economic growth have driven the demand for gentrified buildings and land development, and, more importantly, the government-driven urban renewal and renovation projects for old neighborhoods, as well as the preservation of historical cultural heritage and organic micro-renewal, have all had a significant impact on the cityscape and distribution of buildings. Renovation projects in older neighborhoods, as well as the preservation and organic micro-renewal of historical and cultural heritage, have all had a significant impact on the urban landscape and building distribution.
Gentrification usually refers to the process of transforming older residential areas of a city into middle- and high-income neighborhoods through renovation and upgrading, which is often accompanied by an exodus of low-income residents and an influx of diverse outsiders [
2,
3]. Gentrification has become an unavoidable phenomenon in many cities around the world, and while it brings strong economic impetus to cities, it also brings social problems that cannot be ignored [
4]. For example, gentrification has exacerbated the polarization of the housing market, with an increase in the supply of high-end housing and a growing scarcity of affordable housing, which not only squeezes the living space of low-income people in cities but also puts more pressure on the middle-income group under the rapid upgrading of urban services. The phenomenon of urban gentrification not only diminishes the living space for low-income groups in cities but also exacerbates the pressures faced by middle-income groups due to the rapid upgrading of urban services. One of the notable challenges associated with this trend is the burden of “mortgage repayment”, which particularly affects young and middle-income groups in China. For this reason, some countries and cities have adopted housing policies and other measures to curb the negative effects of gentrification, such as the rent freeze implemented in Berlin, Germany.
Gentrification, on the other hand, refers to the renewal or redevelopment of buildings that occurs as part of the process of urban gentrification, which usually involves the transformation of older, low-cost residential areas into higher-end residential, commercial, and recreational facilities catering to the needs of middle- and upper-income residents. This transformation is often accompanied by cosmetic renovation, modernization of facilities, and the introduction of new architectural styles, with the aim of increasing the economic value and visual appeal of the urban area [
5]. There are three reasons for the rapid development of gentrification [
6,
7,
8]: firstly, there are economic motives, such as governments promoting gentrification through increased tax revenue and regional economic activation, and real estate developers seeking large profit margins and investing in downtowns or other potential areas through renovation to quickly build gentrified buildings to “attract attention”; secondly, market demand, such as with urbanization and the increase in the income level of the general public; the middle-class people’s demand for high-quality living space continues to increase, such as people’s lifestyles and “personalized” changes in the residence around the convenient transportation; facilities are the consumer’s choice; thirdly, cultural trends, such as the rise of new art forms and creative industries, are driving the transformation and upgrading of old industrial areas.
It has to be emphasized that there has always been a passion and popularity for the pursuit of commodity symbols in all groups of society, especially in the context of the rapid development of information technology; the concept of symbolic consumption, which takes the pursuit of commodity symbolic meanings as the main purpose of consumption, is also spreading in all groups of society [
9]. This symbolic consumption has the nature of the times and will develop and change with the development of the social economy, politics, culture, and other factors. In this context, “status manifestation” has become one of the main forms of symbolic meaning of gentrified architectural properties. For example, Kreuzberg in Berlin, Germany, is known worldwide for its rich cultural diversity and counter-culture. With the recent rise of new-age art and diverse creative entrepreneurial dynamics, the area has attracted a succession of young professionals and middle-class families. The pursuit of gentrification architecture is not only about changing architectural styles and cityscapes but also deeply touches on shifts in social structure, cultural expression, and identity [
10].
Reviewing the current research on gentrification architecture pursuit can be divided into five categories; namely, urban planning and property policy response research [
11], global comparative research on gentrification architecture [
12], research on gentrification architecture and physical and mental health of the general public [
13], research on the environment and the sustainable development of urban architecture [
14], and research on culture and identity change [
15]. In the study of culture and identity change, some studies have explored the gentrification architecture pursuit intention of immigrant groups, high-, middle-, and low-income groups, ordinary people in different stages of life, and people with different educational backgrounds and occupations [
16]. However, no study has focused on people who experienced being left behind in their childhood. The uncertainty and loneliness of the left-behind children’s experience may make them more eager for stability and security in adulthood. As a result, this group may be more inclined to seek residential environments that offer long-term security. At the same time, the childhood left-behind experience may stimulate a strong need for social identity and a sense of belonging, and gentrified areas, which are usually associated with social status enhancement, may better satisfy their quest for social identity. Physical activity participation has been shown to be effective in reducing stress, anxiety, and depression, with positive effects on mental health. For consumers with the experience of being left behind, the availability of sports facilities and space for sports activities may be an important factor in their choice of housing, and the unstable family environment of prolonged separation may make this segment of the population have a higher pursuit of the stability and health of the living environment, and gentrification areas usually develop housing projects that include gyms, swimming pools, or other sports facilities. Such amenities may be attractive to consumers with a history of staying behind who want to enhance their well-being through physical activity.
Based on this, this paper, in the process of researching gentrification, effectively focuses its perspective on the group with childhood left-behind experiences. Based on the integration and analysis of previous scholars’ dissertation materials, with identity construction theory as the theoretical guideline, and on the basis of physical activity participation, two emerging variables, namely, physical activity happiness and metacognition, are introduced to explore the impact of childhood left-behind experience on consumers’ pursuit of architecture in adulthood. Through SPSS and PROCESS, we introduced interdisciplinary variables, such as “sports participation” and “left-behind childhood experience”, and for the first time, explored the internal perception and influencing factors of this group in the process of urbanization from a non-dimensional perspective. This study illustrates the unique understanding and pursuit of gentrification architecture by this special group of left-behind sports participants, which promotes the understanding of this group and provides real estate developers and other stakeholders with unique suggestions from the perspective of special consumers, which will help them to design, build, and publicize real estate projects that are more suitable for the general public by more comprehensively taking into account the psychological state of different groups.
5. Analysis and Discussion
This paper explores the relationship between childhood left-behind experiences and physical activity participation with gentrification architecture pursuit and its possible underlying mechanisms. The results show that the level of physical activity participation of individuals with childhood left-behind experiences positively predicts their gentrification architecture pursuits, i.e., the more actively involved in physical activity an individual affected by left-behind experiences is, the higher the degree of his/her gentrification architecture pursuits will be. In addition, this paper also found the mediating role of physical activity well-being, i.e., physical activity participation can have an indirect effect on gentrification architecture pursuit through physical activity well-being, which is manifested in the fact that the higher the frequency of physical activity participation of individuals affected by the left-behind experience in childhood, the stronger the well-being experienced by their participation in physical activity, and the higher the level of their pursuit of gentrification architecture. Further analysis revealed that metacognition plays a moderating role in the path of physical activity well-being in predicting consumers’ gentrification architecture pursuits, i.e., when individuals with childhood left-behind experiences have higher levels of metacognition, their level of gentrification architecture pursuits (compared to lower levels of metacognition) is limited, even though their physical activity participation experiences more well-being. In addition, the metacognition ability of individuals with childhood left-behind experiences significantly and negatively predicts their gentrification architecture pursuit when the level of sport participation is low, i.e., the better the metacognition ability, the lower the level of gentrification architecture pursuit for individuals with left-behind experiences who have a lower level of sport participation.
The impact of the left-behind experience on individuals is not only in terms of participation in sports but also in terms of their subsequent development and consumer attitudes; Wen et al. [
48] compared the psychological, behavioral, and educational outcomes of left-behind and non-left-behind children and found that the left-behind children were at a disadvantage in terms of health behaviors and school participation. It is clear that childhood is an important time in an individual’s development and that the experience of being left behind has an impact on all aspects of their subsequent development. Belk et al. [
49] showed that elementary school is a critical time for children to acquire most of the skills of consumer decoding, which involves recognizing the symbolic meanings of consumer goods, such as cars and houses. The lack of access to the Internet is a major factor in the development of children who have been left behind. Individuals who have been left behind are more likely to feel lonely due to the lack of communication with their parents, which may lead to a change in their consumption attitudes compared to those with parents, i.e., because of the absence of one or both parents during childhood, they may place more emphasis on the symbolic aspects of consumption (e.g., gentrification and architectural pursuits), and have a greater need to seek acceptance in the community.
5.1. The Direct Role of Physical Activity Participation and the Mediating Role of Physical Activity Well-Being
This paper finds that the level of physical activity participation of individuals with childhood left-behind experiences is an important predictor of individual gentrification architecture pursuit, which is more consistent with the findings of previous scholars’ related studies [
50]. More importantly, this paper also finds that the level of physical activity participation of individuals with childhood left-behind experience will enhance their gentrification architecture pursuit psychology through physical activity well-being. Physical activity participation is not only a form of entertainment but also an expression of cultural symbols and social identity. During childhood, left-behind individuals may lack family companionship and cozy family cultural inheritance, but through physical activity participation provides them with an ideal social platform to build close relationships with others, bringing physical and mental pleasure while also integrating into an emerging circle of people sought after by the mainstream culture of the society and establishing a new social identity. Physical activity participation is often promoted by the mass media as a positive image and is generally understood and recognized by the social crowd. This recognition and respect will inspire them to pursue a higher quality of life, including the pursuit of gentrification architecture [
51].
Physical activity participation is not only a physical activity but also a kind of psychological exercise and healing. Individuals who lack family companionship in childhood can obtain a sense of security and warmth through sports activities, which can “replace” companionship. For example, the sense of achievement, cooperation, and body shaping gained from sports activities will significantly increase the individual’s self-confidence and sense of well-being. Physical activity and well-being are not only a direct result of sports participation but also inspire individuals to aspire to a better quality of life [
52]. According to the theory of identity construction, an individual’s identity is gradually formed and constructed through social interactions and personal experiences; therefore, the sense of well-being gained through sports activities enhances an individual’s satisfaction with life and the pursuit of a high quality of life, which in turn influences the pursuit of gentrification architecture pursuit. From another perspective, the enhancement of physical activity well-being reflects individuals’ concern and pursuit of good living habits and physical and mental health. The gentrification building communities often provide better living environments and community facilities, such as high greening rates, excellent comprehensive quality of residents, and perfect sports supporting facilities, which are conducive to individuals’ physical and mental health and quality of life.
Identity construction theory emphasizes that individuals construct their identities through the realization of self-worth and the pursuit of personal achievement [
53]. Individuals with stay-at-home experiences may have experienced certain challenges and dilemmas growing up yet gained self-actualization and a sense of accomplishment through physical activity participation. High-end neighborhood properties are often seen as symbols of success and social status, and living in such an environment naturally enhances an individual’s sense of identity and social status in the eyes of others [
54]. Individuals with the experience of being left behind in childhood may have gained a certain sense of achievement through sports activities but still feel a certain degree of identity uncertainty and identity dilemma at the psychological level of social interaction. Gentrification architecture is not only a material enjoyment but also a symbol and pursuit of a better life. This pursuit not only comes from material fulfillment but is also a response to the deepest longing of the heart. Therefore, they are more inclined to demonstrate their success and status by pursuing properties in gentrified neighborhoods in order to gain social recognition and respect.
5.2. The Moderating Role of Metacognition
Interestingly, the results of the empirical analysis in this paper identified the conditional variable, metacognition, that can limit to some extent the impact of physical activity well-being on gentrification architecture pursuit in individuals with childhood stay-at-home experiences. Individuals with higher levels of metacognition may be better at goal setting, self-construction, and self-monitoring, more focused on internal growth and self-actualization, more likely to think and plan rationally for their own development, more focused on long-term goals and resource allocation, and more attentive to the trade-off between intrinsic and extrinsic satisfaction [
55]. These abilities cultivate a higher degree of psychological resilience, enabling individuals to cope more effectively with the negative impacts of childhood experiences of being left behind, to break through the dilemmas brought about by childhood experiences of being left behind, and to seek opportunities for growth and development from them. If they seek active and healthy habits, such as cultivating interest in sports and increasing their level of physical activity participation, they will participate in physical activities more consciously, and individuals with a high level of metacognition may be more adept at monitoring their emotions and behaviors, and be able to cope with challenges by regulating their attention and emotions. This ability to self-regulate contributes to better enjoyment of the exercise process during physical activity, leading to increased physical activity well-being and a greater ability to enjoy the well-being brought about by the exercise proces.
Specifically, because individuals with high levels of metacognition focus on the rational allocation of their various resources, they weigh their options more carefully and cautiously consider where investing their resources will maximize their long-term personal interests and goals [
56]. Therefore, even if they feel physically and mentally enriched by physical activity participation or have an increased sense of well-being brought about by physical activity, they are more likely to believe that instead of investing their resources in the pursuit of external material enjoyment such as high-end gentrified properties, they would be better off using their resources in other more important aspects, such as education, and thus pursue gentrification architecture pursuits to a relatively low degree. Because metacognition aids individuals to continuously overcome the effects of childhood left-behind experiences, gain more security and fulfillment, and enhance positive mindfulness and self-affirmation of life, they are more concerned with long-term personal development and goal attainment than short-term pleasure experiences [
57]. Identity construction theory emphasizes that individuals with clear self-knowledge are more able to clearly understand the relationship between themselves and their social environment and more rationally deal with the social identity and identity brought by external material symbols [
58]. Even though the experience of being left behind in childhood may have prompted individuals to face the challenges and responsibilities of adult life at an earlier age and experience identity troubles and struggles, even though the sense of achievement from physical activity participation and the sense of well-being from physical activity have increased, they are likely to pay more attention to their personal values and long-term goals, and will not pursue external material symbols such as high-end real estate excessively because they know better that it cannot truly satisfy their inner needs. Individuals with high levels of metacognition may be more inclined to internal self-worth and personal growth and less reliant on external material symbols, including gentrification architecture pursuits such as real estate.
6. Limitations and Future Research
This paper empirically explored the mechanism of the influence of individual sports participation levels of childhood left-behind experiences on their gentrification architecture pursuit, but there are still some shortcomings: first, this paper uses a convenience sampling method to find subjects to distribute and fill out the questionnaire, in which it must be considered that there may have been a very small number of subjects who do not fill out the questionnaire seriously due to subjective reasons, which resulted in the situation of bias; moreover, the sample in this paper was limited to the same region, and the social, economic, cultural, and environmental characteristics of a single geographic region may be so unique that they may not be replicated in other regions. Policies and institutions may vary greatly from region to region, and these differences can have a significant impact on the behaviors and attitudes of the subjects of this study. Therefore, a combination of different research methods can be used in future studies to broaden the scope of subjects and continuously improve the representativeness of the sample and the external validity of the study. Future studies can also increase the study area to enhance the reliability and validity of the findings by comparing and contrasting data from different regions. In addition, they can also provide detailed research instructions and methods, including sample selection criteria, data collection processes, and analysis methods. It is also beneficial to conduct a long follow-up study to observe the changes and trends of the variables in different geographic regions, to verify the continuity and stability of the study results, and ultimately to ensure the replicability of this study in other geographic settings.
Secondly, this paper only explored the influence of the experience of being left behind in childhood on individual gentrification architecture pursuit and does not differentiate the types of being left behind in detail, such as only the father working outside the home, only the mother working outside the home, and both parents working outside the home. In future research, we can construct a multicluster structural equation model according to the different types being left behind to analyze the specific links between individual variables further and find more valuable points from the comparison of the paths. Finally, gentrification architecture pursuit is affected by a variety of factors, and this study only explored the relationship between physical activity participation, physical activity well-being, metacognition, and gentrification architecture pursuit of individuals with childhood left-behind experiences, in addition to which there are other variables that have an impact on gentrification architecture pursuit, such as upward social comparison, mental toughness, and so on. Therefore, future research can consider more realities, combine them with richer literature, and examine and study the inherent mechanism of action and the relationship between variables from multiple perspectives and in multiple fields.