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The disconnection with nature as a consequence ofthe migration from rural areas to urban spaces in thelast decades, has supposed a physical and mentalchange in the population. Experiences in nature haveshown to be a restoration factor and an improvementin physical and mental health. In this research, therole of guided hikes in aspects such as natureconnectedness, place attachment and well-being willbe deepened.Hence, an experiment has been carried out in whichtwo conditions were studied, unguided and guidedwalks, with the aim of observing the impact of eachone on the experience. Well-being was studiedthrough a comparative survey, taking pre-hike andpost-hike surveys. Place attachment and NatureConnectedness were studied with a survey at the endof the walks.The results have not been able to confirm thehypotheses, but that is why the limitations that havearisen throughout the study, and the discussionaround them, are of great importance.

Purpose: To explore the interplay between employer branding and place within the Swedish IT sector. To answer the purpose of the study, two research questions have been developed. RQ1: What are IT university students’ perceptions of IT companies employer value proposition (EVP) and to what extent does place play a role in these perceptions? RQ2: How do IT companies use (or not use) place as a part of their EVP to attract potential employees? Methodology: To conduct the study, a qualitative research approach with an exploratory focus in form of semi-structured interviews were used. Six IT students from Luleå University of Technology were interviewed to explore answers related to RQ1, and three IT companies established in Luleå were interviewed to find answers for RQ2. Results: For RQ1, the result showed that the students were attracted to soft values at a potential employer. The place played a major role in the choice of employer as the respondents believe that it directly affects the connection to the place in their daily lives, in terms of well-being, the environment and proximity to family. For RQ2, the result showed that IT companies see the value of students and Luleå as an attractive place to be in and pushes the advantages of the place as a growing city and their respective company’s contribution to local development. Theoretical implications: The study explores the interplay between employer branding (EB) and place, using frameworks related to external employer branding (EEB) value propositions and place attachment (PA). It provides new insights into how students perceive EVP, and the role place has in their choice of employer and that attachment must be built for students to want to stay in the city after graduation. Practical implications: IT companies should emphasize the value in why employees should choose them over another employer, and not just communicate general descriptions about the company image. Efforts are required from the local community to increase the attachment of students and the attractiveness of the place. Students should get more involved in the business life in Luleå to get a more in-depth picture of the IT companies that exist.

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Official planning documents and strategies often look at cities from above neglecting people’s experiences and practices. Meanwhile cities as meaningful places are constructed though citizens’ practices, memories and ties with their surroundings. The purpose of this phenomenological study is to discover people’s bonds with their urban allotment gardens – dachas – in the Russian city of Kaliningrad and to explore the significance of these bonds for city development. The phenomenon of the dacha has a long history in Russia. Similar to urban allotment gardens in other countries, dachas are an essential part of the city landscape in many post-socialist countries but differ by their large scale. Recent decades have brought diversity into the urban dacha areas of Russia and express a shift away from their primary function of recreational horticulture towards a greater variety in usage, including housing. Due to multiple legal frameworks these areas have become special enclaves with haphazard development, inadequate levels of infrastructure and low quality of self-build houses. Urban dachas can be examined as an example of both post-socialist suburbanization and informal settlement. In this thesis the concept of place attachment, derived from the works of human geographers and environmental psychologists, is used as both the theoretical and methodological lens to look at people-place relations in urban dacha areas. The empirical evidence for this study was gathered through interviews and observations in Kaliningrad where urban dachas comprise 11% of the city’s territory. To capture the different aspects of place attachment in these areas the data was categorised according to common themes.The findings of this study show the complexity of the bonds between people and their urban allotment gardens. Despite all the hardships, these places provide their residents an opportunity for independence and self-realization. The respondents demonstrated an energy and aspiration to achieve increased well-being for themselves and their families, however the lack of resources and institutions hinders the development of place attachment in urban dacha areas. The identified features of people’s bonds with their dachas should not only be preconditions for urban planning but also an integral part of the planning and development process. This study also tests the application of the concept of place attachment for urban studies.