changing places

define place

a location with meaning to individuals which can be personal or subjective at a social or cultural level

meanings of place may not be shared by different people

what are the 3 concepts of place

location - where a place can be found on a map

locale - a place where something happens or has a particular social norm/event associated with it eg places of worship

a sense of place - the subjective or personal and emotional attachment people have to a place

what is the importance of place in human life and experiences

• our understanding of places and our attachment to it expands with our age and knowledge of it

• the more enjoyable the experience of a place, the more we feel safe and attached to it

• some people see place as part of their identity

how do we grow attachment to a place according to yi-fu tan

suggested that attachment to a place grows stronger over time

as you have more experiences in a place, you are more likely to be attached with that place

experiences can have different levels of intensity the greater the intensity and number of experiences you have in a place, the greater the depth of attachment you may have to a place

if you spend long enough in a place with many positive and intense experiences, it will become home

what is an insider perspective of place

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

feels like home and easy to negotiate your way around

what is an outsider perspective on place

the perspective of someone who does not know a place well (eg a tourist) or someone who is marginalised in as community such as the homeless or people from minority groups

what is topophilia and topophobia

topophilia - love of a place

topophobia - fear of a place

what are near places

places which are close to us

however they are subjective

eg someone living in the australian outback may consider a place that is 100km away to be near, due to the ability to directly drive between settlements but in the UK a place that is 100km away may take several hours to travel to and may be considered as a far place.

what are far places

places that are distant

how do near and far places have emotional meaning

some people may get ‘homesick’ if they are staying away for the first time in their lives even if they are only ten minutes drive away. They may feel ‘far’ away emotionally, even if they are physically close

what are experienced places

places that we have actually visited

some people would argue that you have to visit a place to create an emotional attachment to it

others would suggest that a desire to visit a place or dislike towards it because of what you have seen through the media, is enough to create an emotional attachment

what are media places

places we have not visited, but may have learned about through media representations

eg hogwarts

most geographers would argue you have a more intense experience by visiting a place, which leads to a stronger attachment to it, due to the stimulation of all your senses

but media sources can change our sense of place subconsciously

what are endogenous factors

internal factors originating from within a place

eg landuse, topography, phys

what are exogenous factors and some examples

external factors from outside a place that influence a place’s identity. caused by a places relationship with other places

eg people (migrants, visitors), money and investment (trade, business), resources (availability of raw materials) ideas (new businesses, urban planners)

how are formal representations used to give meaning to a place

• quantitive data

• objective facts

• statistics (eh census or geospatial data)

how are abstract representations used to give meaning to a place

• qualitative data

• film and tv (eg billy elliot) music (eg empire state of mind) maps (eg london underground) poems (eg london by william blake) art, photos