Changing Places

What 3 things make up a place?

1. location

2. locale

3. sense of place

What is location?

where a place is on a map

What is locale?

a place where something happens or is set, or that has particular events associated with it

What is a sense of place?

The attachments people develop or experience in a particular place, and the meaning to someone

What does Stephen Daniels suggest we must do as well as studying a place

Study the very idea of the place

What is Richard Phillips first aspect of place that we must understand?

The nexus of links between people, ideas and information

What is Richard Phillips second aspect of place that we must understand?

A place has both location and meaning. Location is the position as to where something is, and meaning is the personal meaning an individual has to a place, such as danger or beauty.

What is meant by placenessness?

Where something loses its identity and becomes the same as other places (clone towns)

What did Yu-Fu Tuan explain?

Our sense of place expands with age. \our geographical horizons expand as we develop physically. As we learn to walk, run, cycle etc… more of the world becomes accessible

How is a persons place and identity linked?

People identify themselves based on their place, such as someone identifying as British

How can someones identity to a place change?

If a place fails, such as a football team getting relegated or an industry closing, people’s identity may fail

What is the descriptive approach?

The idea that the world is a set of places and each place can be studied and is distinct

What is the social constructionist approach?

The social constructionist approach suggests that places are shaped by human experiences, beliefs, and practices, not just by their physical geography. Places gain meaning through the narratives and identities that people assign to them.

What is the phenomenological approach?

This approach is not interested in the unique characteristics of a place or why it was built. Instead it is interested in how an individual person experiences that place. Yi-Fu Tuan and Edward Ralph both argue that it is the degree of attachment to a place that a person has that is significant

State 3 ways in which we can identify an insider

1. place of birth

2. fluent in local language

3. where their parents are from

How can we identify an outsider?

temporary visitor or no right to vote or work

as of 2013, how many people live outside their country of origin?

220 million

What makes up an experienced place?

1. places a person has spent time in

2. the reality of a place

What makes up a media place?

1. How a place is portrayed in the media

2. books, films, social media

What are endogenous factors with examples

Internal factors, such as topography, demographic or economic factors

What are exogenous factors with examples

External factors such as migration or influences from other cities

Describe the location of Rocinha

Southern Rio, on the east coast of brazil

What is the population of Rocinha now compared to 30 years ago?

Now, estimations are around 200,000. 30 years ago, estimates were around 100,000-150,000

What proportion of Rocinha is male vs female

51% male 49% female

What is the median age of Rocinha

20-29

Describe transport in Rocinha

1. limited transportation due to lack of funding

2. regular bus service running through the main road

3. Taxi scooters

4. Most people walk

What is the average time for formal education in Rocinha?

4 years

What is the average monthly income in Rocinha

£170

What is the unemployment rate in Rocinha?

around 50%

Describe employment in Rocinha

Most people are employed in the informal sector, such as working at stalls or tourism, earning very little. However, there are some chain restaurants such as McDonalds. More and more people are becoming employed in tourism within Rocinha

What is housing like in Rocinha

Most houses are built poorly and illegally, meaning most dont have internet, clean water or sewage systems. It also makes them very unstable epecially due to the topography of Rio

What are the positives of statistics?

Good to show demographics, such as the census data. Statistics are quanitfiable data, therefore very easy to analyse and often pre-analysed.

What are the negatives of statistics?

You cant see the meaning behind the statistics (verstehen). They are also open to bias and manipulation

What are soft statistics?

a type of data that often involves opinions, attitudes and feelings (subjective)

What are hard statistics?

something that can be objectively viewed through statistics such as population

What is John Constabe famous for painting and what representation does this give?

Suffolk and farms, giving a positive representation of rural England

What is Lowry famous for painting and what representation does this give?

Lowry is famous for painting inustrial areas in manchester, providing a very negative representation

What is Wark famous for and what represnetation of Rocinha does it give?

Wark is famous for his photography of urban environments, and his representation of Rocinha highlights the contrast between its poverty and vibrant community life, portraying the favela with empathy and complexity.

In what ways can quantitative data be used to represent places?

ONS census data can represent age and gender structure, ethnicity and economic deprivation

Evaluation of using quantitative data

They tell very litke about the human experience of a place

How can maps be used to influence our perceptions of place?

Early maps pictured a flat earth with the holy city, jerusalem at the centre. Now, maps can be infleunced for consumerism such as google maps censoring soem places and directing people towards businesses

What is counter mapping?

A bottom up approach where people produce their own maps informed by local knowledge and understanding of the place

What is the mercator projection and negatives of it

The Mercator projection is a typical map seen in many classrooms. Negatives include:

1. distorts relative size of land masses, such as Greenland shown to be the same size as Africa, but it is actually 14 times smaller

2. The map is eurocentric, meaning that it exaggerates the size of europe and places it at the centre

What is biomapping?

The mapping of emotions shown by people to certain places through the use of a device knwon as a GSR. A map can be created which vicualised points of high and low emotion/stress

How can photographs affect the perception of a place?

1. photos can be photoshopped to make places more attractive to tourists

2. can be selective in what they show

How can poetry affect perceptions of a place?

Using an insider perspective, poets can display their feelings and thoughts about a place, however, this means that there is often personal bias. Examples include:

1. william wordsworth and the lake district

2. Seamus Heaney and his Irish roots

3. William Blake and poverty/inequality in London

What impact has GPS had on places?

Real places have now become ‘layered’ and ‘augmented’

How is GIS used for place representation?

GIS connects data to a map, integrating location data (where things are) with descriptive information (what things are like there). For example, it could map supermarkets, linking customer purchase data with where they live, helping businesses analyse patterns in buying behaviour.

In what ways is place important to human life and experience

People define themselves through a sense of place by carrying out a range of everday practices there

Food items are increasingly marketd in terms of the area that they came from

Popularity of certain evenst that take pleace in a certain area, such as glastonbury festival

Through what 3 factors can people’s lived experience of a place be explored

1. identity

2. belonging

3. wellbeing

How can people’s lived experience of a place be influenced by identity

Identity can be evident at a number of scales, such as localism, regionalism and nationalism. People identify more with an area because they have a greater knowledge of this area and its people.

Religion can also foster an identity to a place, such as places of worship in local towns or places of pilgramage such as Mecca or the Western Wall

How has globalisation of place made people lose their identity with a place

Globalisation has caused many towns and cities to become homogenised, especially in the UK. These are known as clone towns. This can give a sense of placelessness to people.

However, Globalisation allows for glocalisation, but for identity to still be kept. For example, McDonalds tailor their food to the area that they are in, such as kosher food in Israel

How can people’s lived experience of a place be influenced by belonging

If people belong to a community, it can create a more positive sense of place, as they feel accepted. The extent to which one feels a sense of belonging can be influenced by factors such as religion, socio-economic status, race, gender and ethnicity.

With globalisation, a sense of belonging is now shown outside of people’s hoem countries, such as the UK celebrating Diwali and the Chinese new year

How can people’s lived experience of a place be infleunced by well-being

The quality of both mental and physical health can impact people’s sense of place, through the levels of happiness they felt in an area

What is the media portayol of rural living

In the UK, the countryside is seen as involving happy, healthy and close-knit communities, such as shown is children’s shows like postman pat.

However, rural areas are often filled with unemployment, poverty, inaffordable housing, lack of public transport and rural homelessness, which can result in a negative sense of place

What is the media portayol of city living

Cities are often stereotypes as areas with social deprivation, homelessness, crime, vandalism and pollution.

However, successful regeneration of some urban areas result in sustainable living and happier residents

What change has Medellin undergone in recent years

For a very long time, Medellin was greatly associated with the drug lord Pablo Escobar until his death in 1993. At this point, the city was riddled with crime, poverty and unemployment

However, today Medellin has undergone many regeneration schemes such as public gondola systems carrying residenst around teh city, helping to reduce inequality. There is also a free bike sharing scheme to lower costs and pollution. This has helped to lower poverty rates

However, there is still major ineuality between the wealthiest and poorest, along with high crime rates and gang violence

How can the perception of a place be influenced, such as in Dartmoor national park?

The perception of a place can be influenced through what we have heard, seen or read about a place. For example, Dartmoor national park is closely linked with wilderness and nature. Howver, these hide important human activities such as quarrying, mining and military activities

Who are the main agnets of change when it comes to perceptions of place

The media play a major role in the perception of a place, by showing certain stories in the news, such as the middle east being riddled with war and conflict.

The government also aim to influence perceptions of place, mostly positively through ad campaigns, rebranding and marketing, for example many countries having ‘visit…’ campaigns

What are the stages involved in changing perceptions of place?

Re-imaging, which involves dissasociating a place from poor perceptions such as crime and deprivation in order to attract new invetsment and tourism

Then there is rebrandin, which involves ways in which a place is redeveloped in order to be marketed in a different way

Finally, tehre is regeneration, which a long term process which onvolves the use of social, economic and environmental action to create sustainable and positive communities

Provide an example of a place where its perception was changed using the methods of reimaging, rebranding and regeneration

In Amsterdam 2004, the government and council aimed to restore it as one of teh top European tourist destinations, such as the integration of the ‘I Amsterdam’ slogan in front of the famous Rijksmuseum, which is photographed over 8000 times per day

Describe the social and economic statistics of Newham in 2008 and teh rank out of 32 boroughs in London

Unmployemnt rate - 9.7% rank 29/32

Income support claimant rate - 9.3% 28/32

Median house price - £236,000 22/32

Foreign residents rate - 49.1% 29/32

Median house income - £27,700 32/32

Crime rate per 1000 - 133.1 25/32

Acoording to the former mayor of london, Ken Livingstone, why did he bid for the 2012 Olynpics

He stated that bidding for Britain’s flagship sporting event, the London 2012 Olympic Games, was entirely his idea so as to force the Government to ‘redevelop and rejuvenate’ London’s deprived East End, specifically Stratford, within the London Borough Of Newham.

What is the main reason for the deprivation in stratford

The East end, including areas such as stratford were typically heaviliy industrialised., with many factories. As with many surrounding areas, from the 1970s onwards, deindustrialisation occurred and urban decline followed. Newham has for many years now been one of the worst performing of London’s 32 boroughs.

What 5 promises did the GLA make towards the redevelopment of east london

1. Increasing opportunities for Londoners to become involved in sport.

2. Ensuring Londoners benefit from new jobs, businesses, and volunteering opportunities

3. Transforming the heart of East London

4. Delivering a sustainable event and creating sustainable communities

   1. Showcasing London as a diverse, creative, and welcoming city

What was the change in crime rate, median household income, median house price, income support claimant rate and unemployment rate from 2008-2020 in Newham/Stratford

Crime rate - +10%

Median hosuehold income - +12%

Median house price - +35%

Income support calimant rate - -65%

Unemployment rate - -50%

What are the positives of stratford redevelopement, and was it a direct or indirect change

In 2011, Stratford shopping centre opened, as one of teh latgest shopping centres in Europe, costing of £1bn. This was a direct change

In January 2013, Olympid park is renamed to Queen Elizabeth Olympic park, providing a sense of place and attatching a mening to the area. This is an indirect change

In 2013, residents moved into the Athletes village, creating more homes for people. This is a direct change

The sports stadium, teh copper box opened in july 2013. This is a direct change

At the end of 2013, North park opened within Olympic park, which includes areas such as the velodrome

In 2014, more tourist attractions opened such as the aquatic centre and orbit, with 9 million visitors per year expected

In 2030, a new neighbourhood is expected to be built with 8000 homes, as well as UCL north university opening

What were the negatives of the redevelopment of Newham/Stratford for the Olympics

In 2007, the Clay’s lane hosuing estate was demolished, which was an area of around 450 affordable apartments and housing

The opening of Westfield had a negative impact on independent traders in the old Stratford Centre and along the historic high street and along with 'rising business rates' has led to a decline in some aspects of the town atmosphere

Several single mothers from the Focus E15 Hostel, made homeless due to council estate demolitions and funding cuts, faced eviction in Newham. With little local housing available, they occupied a vacant home in Carpenter's Estate, which was set for demolition for a now-cancelled UCL project. Their campaign gained national attention, highlighting 'social cleansing' in London

What is Ken Livingstone’s quote on why he bidded for the 2012 olympics

"I bid for the Olympics because it's the only way to get billions of pounds out of the Government to develop the East End – to clean the soil, put in the infrastructure and build the housing."

How do exogenous factors contribute to the character of a place

exogenous facotrs are those which have an external cause. for example, links to other places or policies made by external forces. Exogenous factors can cause a place’s character to change, such as Stratford in London recieiving $9bn in investment to prepare for the olympics

How can globalisation influence a local place

Globalisation is the increasing interconnectiveness of the world through social, politiccal and economic means. This can lead to an increase in capital and labour flows. In stratford, the Olympics have brought increasing prosperity byt also some inequality and division. Foreign investors price locals out of the area, causing displacement

Why may some people resist cange of place

A place is defined as location iwth meaning and often people hold feelings towards their places. Many may not want this to change. Locals may resist change, such as in rural England as change may damage the ‘village like’ feel of these places. There may also be environemntal concerns for a place changing

How can geospatial data be used to present place characeteristics

Data collection in the field has location information tied to it, such as longitude and latitude coordinates. Thus can then be used in GIS software to plot the location of the data. For example, an EQS can have results shown to see how it changes across an area(s)

Geotagged information such as social media posts can be used to look at place characteristics, such as insider and outsider perspectives on place being gathered using geotags

Why may some organisations manipulate perceptiosn of place

Perceptions of place can be manipulated through rebranding, reimaging and redevelopment, with governments often working with companies to do this. For example, to increase tourism in Amsterdam the I Amsterdam program was integrated in 2004. This new rebranding for the city is credited with being a key element in its recent revival

What is Bio mapping

Bio-mapping is a technique that records physiological responses, such as heart rate or galvanic skin response, to map individuals' emotional reactions to different urban environments. This data is used to create "emotion maps" that visualize how people feel in various city areas.

Describe a notable example of bio-mapping in an urban setting.

In a study conducted in Poznań, Poland, researchers used bio-mapping to identify areas of the city that elicited specific emotional responses from residents. Participants wore devices measuring physiological indicators of emotions as they navigated the city. The collected data was then used to create maps highlighting zones associated with feelings such as fear, anger, disgust, depression, happiness, and admiration.

What are the advantages of bio-mapping?

• Enhanced Urban Planning: By understanding residents' emotional responses to different areas, planners can design spaces that promote positive experiences and address zones associated with negative emotions.

• Personalized City Experience: It provides insights into how various demographics perceive the city, allowing for tailored interventions that cater to diverse community needs.

• Real-Time Feedback: The physiological data offers immediate and objective feedback on environmental changes, aiding in dynamic urban management.

What are the disadvantages of bio-mapping?

• Subjectivity of Emotions: Emotional responses are highly individual and can be influenced by personal experiences, making it challenging to generalize findings.

• Privacy Concerns: Collecting physiological data raises ethical questions about consent and the potential misuse of sensitive information.

• Resource Intensive: Implementing bio-mapping requires specialized equipment and expertise, which can be costly and time-consuming.

What is John Urry’s Tourist Gaze?

The Tourist Gaze describes how tourists view places through a lens shaped by cultural expectations, seeking out sights and experiences that align with what they consider “authentic” or “exotic,” often leading to selective representations of a place.

How can the Tourist Gaze influence the character of a place?

The Tourist Gaze can lead to the commodification of culture, where local traditions and spaces are adapted to meet tourist expectations. This often results in superficial portrayals that overlook deeper social issues.

How can the Tourist Gaze apply to Rocinha during the Rio Festival?

Tourists may focus on Rocinha’s vibrant street art and cultural festivities, viewing it as a lively and colourful community, while overlooking poverty, crime, and social inequality, leading to a romanticised image of the favela.

What are the main criticisms of the Tourist Gaze?

Critics argue that the Tourist Gaze reduces complex places to simple spectacles, often ignoring local voices and social issues. It can also promote stereotypes and disempower local communities by shaping spaces for tourist consumption.

How do artistic sources like photography and street art contribute to the social construction of a place?

Artistic sources reflect and construct the meanings that people attach to a place. They portray the identity and values of a community, which can change over time based on how people see themselves and their environment.

What is a key critique of the social constructionist approach to place?

It can oversimplify or idealise places by focusing too much on positive narratives and ignoring complex social and economic realities, such as poverty, crime, or inequality.