Human geography - Changing places

Space

An area with no meaning

Place

An area with meaning

Location

where a place is on a map, latitude/longitude

Locale

A place where there is or was human activity

Sense of place

The subjective and emotional attachment to a place

Descripive approach

The idea that the world is a set of places and is distinct from

Social constructionist approach

sees places as a product of a particular set of social processes occurring at a particular time

A phenomenological approach

how an individual person experiences places, recognising a highly personal relationship between place and person

Placemaking movement values...

Identity

Belonging

Wellbeing

Localism

Affection for or emotional ownership of particular place, expressed through nimbyism.

NIMBYism

NIMBY is an acronym for "not in my backyard;" it's used to describe opposition by residents to a proposal for a new development close to them. Examples may include, but are not limited to tall buildings, wind turbines, landfills, incinerators, power plants, prisons, mobile telephone network masts, and especially transportation improvements (e.g. new roads, passenger railways or highways.

Regionalism

loyalty to a particular region with a population that shares similarities

Nationalism

Loyalty and devotion to a particular nation, which creates a sense of national conciousness

Positionality

the recognition that where you stand in relation to others in society shapes what you can see and understand about the world

Belonging is influenced by...

Age, Gender, Sexuality, Socioeconomic status, Religion, Level of education, Race, Ethnicity

Near & far places

Could refer to physical distance or emotional attachment

Experienced and media places

Experienced places have a fuller picture, whilst media places are created from representation and stereotypes

Endogenous factors

Factors that originate from within a place. Over time they will be shaped by exogenous factors. E.g. topography, demographic characteristics, infrastructure.

Exogenous factors

The relationship of one place with other places and the external factors which affect this

Factors affecting the character of place

- Socioeconomic factors

- Cultural factors

- Physical geography

- Demographic factors

- Location

- The built environment

- Mobility of population (For work and leisure)

- Political factors

Sense of place

The perception an individual has of an area based on personal experiences or media representation

Placelessness

the loss of uniqueness of place in the cultural landscape so that one place looks like the next e.g the airport or disneyland.

Diaspora

A group of people with a similar heritage or homeland who have settles elsewhere in the world e.g Brick lane

Examples of exogenous factors

migrants or migrant workers

Investment from external businesses

Resources

Ideas

Geospatial data

Information about a physical object that can be represented by numerical values in a geographic coordinate system.

Geospatial data characteristics

- data collected in the field

- latitude and longitude coordinates

- GIS programmes to plot location of data

- geotagged information (instagram posts etc)

- Quantitative data can be geolocated

- Census data

Demographic and cultural changes occur by...

- People (also gangs and conflict)

- Resources

- Money and investments

- Ideas

Globalisation

The growing integration of the world's economies and culture

Economic changes and social inequalities change occur by...

- Migration and conflict (syria)

- Terrorism (9/11)

- industrial accidents (chernobyl)

- Natural disasters (Katrina)

- Climate change (Maldives, environmental refugees)

Government policy as an external force of change

- regeneration schemes and financial incentives, like subsides, tax breaks and enterprise zones

- LDDC, canary wharf etc

- Attracts businesses to places and stimulates a multiplier effect

Decisions of multinational companies as an external force of change

- 2010 - Mondelez international closed cadbury factory near Bristol and moved production to Poland

- 2016 - Tata steel announces UK job cuts in response to difficult market conditions

- Can cause job losses for employees

- Factories (Cadbury) turned into housing

- Major job losses at Hartlepool, port talbot and Corby

International global institutions as an external force of change

- 2015 - World Bank was running 15 development projects in Haiti which provided post earthquake reconstruction of homes and communities.

- Millenium development goals which had varied success globally

Urbanisation

An increases in the proportion of a country's population that lives in towns and cities. The 2 main causes are natural population growth and migration into urban areas from rural areas

Suburbanisation

The movement of people from living in the inner parts of the city into the outer edges. It has been facilitated by the development of transport networks and the increase in ownership of private cars, allowing commuters

Counter-urbanisation

The movement of people from large urban areas into smaller urban areas or rural areas thereby leapfrogging the rural urban fringe. It can mean daily commuting but could require lifestyle changes and the use of technology (working from home or online)

Why are people moving to rural areas?

- Nicer aesthetics

- Quieter and less busy

- Safer, lower crime rates

- Bigger, cheaper housing

Dormitory village

A small settlement where many people commute to work in another settlement e.g kings reach

Distance Decay

Traditional villages becoming dormitory villages as money moves out and drives populations away (based on distances from cities)

Cloake's index of rurality

- Bipolar analysis of a number of criteria to define how rural an area truly is.

- Made to identify the problems of rural areas and help solve them.

- All areas of England and Wales were categorised into 'extreme rural' 'Intermediate rural' 'Intermediate non-rural' and 'extreme non-rural'

Factors investigated in Cloake's index of rurality

- occupancy rates

- Commuting

- Female population (15-44)

- Amenities

- Population density

- Agricultural employment

-elderly population

- Remoteness

Forces of change (Plus local examples)

- Local community groups (Wetherly centre, Rotary club, Orchard centre)

- National government (Uk gov.)

- International Institutions

- Global institutions

- National Institutions (Co-op warehouse)

- Local government (central beds council)

- Individuals

Regeneration

long term process involving the creation of sustainable communities and social, economic and physical action to reverse decline and helping people ijn neighbourhoods experiencing multiple deprivation.

Reimaging

The remodelling of the perception of a settlements to counter negative aspects of the physical environment's dereliction, pollution and socioeconomic problems including unemployment and crime. It provides new functions, services and attracts investments, retailing, residents and tourism.

Rebranding

Reimaging + Regeneration. The process of taking an existingg set of characteristics and reworking the brand into something different and better. Involves a wide range of marketing strategies. Reinventing themselves to provide a more prosperous future.

Meaning

Individual or collective perceptions of place

Representation

How a place is portrayed or 'seen' in society.