Changing Places definitions

Place

Space + meaning

Lived experience

Personal knowledge about the world gained through direct, first-hand involvement in every day events

Topophobia

The dislike or fear of place due to intense negative experiences there

Topophilia

A strong sense of place with a love of certain aspects of the place. (It can be part of a person or group’s cultural identity)

Place perspective

The combination of lived experience and perception of place

Localism

A preference for the place closest to you

Regionalism

Identification with a distinct region (e.g. someone may describe themself as Cornish, rather than ‘English’

Nationalism

Often described as patriotism

Globalism

People who refer to themselves as global citizens

Locale

The combination of social processes that occur within a location to give it meaning

Sense of place

1) the distance or unique character of a place

2) the attachment between person and place due to lived experience

Location

Place on a map

Placelessness

Being similar to many other places and having no special character (Relph “-essentially no sense of place, for it involves no awareness of the deep and symbolic significances of places and no appreciation of their identities)

Clone towns

Town where the major shopping areas are significantly dominated by chain stores

Placemaking

Planning, design and management of public space by government and corporate bodies

Time-space compression

The phenomenon that means improves in transport and communications connect people more easily and make places feel less far away

An example of spatial exclusion

Spikes on the pavement, or benches with initial seating are choices to spatially exclude homeless people

Near places

A place that a person perceives as being physically close, whether specially or through easy access (Places that we consider close to us)

Far places

A place that a person has not directly experienced it and renders their perception of it one solely of communication and contact with others(Places that we consider as distant to us)

Real places

1) Places that we have been to or those that exist as a place to visit

2) Places with a distinctive character or identity that has developed over time

Constructed places

Imagined places (e.g. Hogwarts) or places that have been created to imitate the identity or character of somewhere that already exists (e.g. the Venetian Hotel in Las Vegas)

Experienced places

A place where people have spent time and have directly experienced its characteristics

Genus loci or ‘spirit of place’

The things that make each place unique that are only understood by experiencing the place

Media places

Places that have meaning for a person due to their exposure to/experienced through representations in the media (e.g. Trinity College Dublin in Sally Rooney’s Normal People)

Community group

An organised collection of people with shared interests and aims often concerning aspects of public life

Endogenous factor

Factors that are internal to a place and affect its character 

Geospatial data

Any data that describes something based on its location

A spatial pattern

Where there is a pattern in the data based on the place 

Qualitative data

Non-numerical data that is subjective in nature

Quantitative data

Numerical data that has been measured and is objective

The Census

A nationwide survey that is taken every ten years to collect information that creates a picture of all the households and people in England and Wales  

Exogenous factors

Factors that are external to a place and affect its character 

Identities

A combination of physical psychological and behavioural traits are contribute to a person self-awareness and how others perceive them. (Shaped in part by where we live and/or our place of birth)

Insider perspective

A viewpoint from an individual who typically lives in a place and therefore has frequent, direct experience of that place and understand the social and cultural norms

Outsider perspective

A viewpoint from an individual who is not from a place or who doesn't live there and has little experience of the place (outsiders may not understand the social norms of the society)

Place perspective

A particular attitude or view towards a place. (Can be influenced by media representation +/ or personal experience)

Place

An area on the Earth surface which is identified as its distinct by the people who live in it or visit it and has meaning for them. (this meaning can and may well be shared by different groups of people)

Representation

How a place is portrayed by the views, statements and communications of others (through formal sources e.g. census data or through informal sources e.g. media reportage + imagery or verbalisation through others)

Stakeholders

Groups or individuals with a concern or interest in something

Gentrification

The process whereby the character of a poor urban area is changed by wealthy residents moving in, improving housing and attracting new business, often displacing current residents in the process.

Place character

Special qualities and features of a place that distinguish it from another