Changing Places

Place

A location with meaning. Places can be meaningful to individuals in ways in way

3 different aspects

• Location (co-ordinates)

• Locale (how people shape the location)

• Sense of place (i.e. emotional attachment)

Clone town

Urban retail areas dominated by (inter)national chain shops (little unique characters)

Homogenisation

When places/social characteristics becomes more similar to each other

Placelessness

When a place is indistinguishable from other places (in appearance or character)

Media

Means of communication including televisions, film, photography, art, newspapers, books, songs, etc. (these reach or influence people widely)

Placemaking

Deliberate shaping of an environment to facilitate social interaction & improve community’s QoL

Glocalisation

A product/service that is developed & distributed globally but is also adjusted to accommodate the user/consumer in a local market.

Totnes: An Example of Localisation

• In 2012: Costa tried to open outlet

• ¾ of town signed petition to boycott as they were proud of independently-owned outlets & in order to prevent Totnes from becoming a “clone town”

• However, in 2019: another coffee shop opened in Totnes

• Therefore: opposition lessened/inevitability in becoming a clone town

Belonging (incl. examples & factors & how it can decrease)

Emotional attachment & sense of identity people feel towards a place (shaped by personal experience, cultural, social relationships).

• Dynamic (changes of time) & can be challenged by migration/globalisation/social exclusion

• Can promote belonging for some groups while marginalising others

• Examples: Chinese New Year festival/China Town in London/favourite football team’s stadium

• Factors: shared values/traditions/language/community & age/gender/sexuality/socio-economic status/religion/level of education

Wellbeing (factors)

A person’s QoL.

• Factors: (SEE & subjective perceptions e.g. sense of security)

Tourist Gaze

How tourists view, interpret & consume places (shaped by expectations, culture, media & prior knowledge (e.g. guidebooks, social media, films).

• Selective viewing: tourists focus on specific features (e.g. landmarks, scenery, culture) rather than everyday local life/poverty

• Social construction can give false positive impression

Insider

The perspective of someone who knows a place well and is familiar not only with its topography but also its daily rhythm and events.

Outsider

The perspective of someone who does not know a place well, or someone who is marginalised in a community, such as homeless people or minority groups

Positionality

Factors such as race, gender, ethnicity, age, religion, politics, socio-economic status etc., which influence how we perceive different places.

Near & far places (factors & examples)

The geographical distance between places OR the emotional connection with a place.

• Examples: grandparent’s house, home country

• Factors: globalisation incl. media

Experienced places & media places

• Places that a person has spent time in

• Places that a person has only seen/read via media

Character of the place

The physical & human features which help to distinguish it from another place (incl. natural/cultural features in landscape & people)

Endogenous/exogenous factors (of character of place)

Factors originate internally vs externally (& relationship of one place)

• Examples: height, relief

• Examples: flows of people, resources, money/investment

Economic & social examples changing places

1. (De-)Industrialisation (economic) e.g. 1760-1840 then 1960-1980

2. Globalisation e.g. British seaside resorts

1. Migration via conflict e.g. Syria

2. Terrorism e.g. 9/11

3. Industrial incidents e.g. Chernobyl

4. Natural disasters

External factors changing places (incl. explanations & examples)

1. Government policies

• Examples: Atria (Watford), HS2

• Impact: Attract businesses to place > PME

2. Decisions of MNCs & TNCs

• Examples: Mondolez International relocated Cadbury factory from near Bristol to Poland & Tata steel cut jobs due to difficult global market conditions

• Impacts: job losses

3. Impact of international institutions

• Examples: WB running 15 development projects in Haiti

• Impact: infrastructure rebuilt