Changing Places: Exam Notes

The Concept of Place

• Location: A place's position on a map, defined by latitude and longitude.

• Locale: The setting where daily activities occur (work, leisure, family). It can be physical or virtual (e.g., a chatroom). Social rules dictate behavior within a locale.

• Sense of Place (Place-Meaning): The subjective, emotional attachment to a place; its personal meaning.

Importance of Place in Human Life

Attachment, Home, and Identity

• Attachment to a place is influenced by knowledge and understanding of it, increasing with age as:

  • Physical ability to explore improves.

  • Knowledge of the place expands.

• Attachment is also influenced by the quality/intensity of experiences in that place.

Identity and Place

• A sense of place can be central to identity.

• Attachment can be multi-faceted, creating a complex identity:

  • County/region (e.g., "A Yorkshireman").

  • Ethnicity (e.g., "Indian").

  • Nationality (e.g., "British").

  • Supra-national/European (e.g., "I voted Remain").

Changing Places, Changing Identities

• Social, economic, or political changes (e.g., Brexit, immigration, HS2) can affect local identity.

• This can increase community awareness and loyalty to a place (localism, regionalism, nationalism, pro-Europeanism), potentially leading to activism.

Insider and Outsider Perspectives

• Places are shaped by society; those whose behavior deviates from the norm may feel uncomfortable.

• Dominant groups can make others feel out of place.

• Excluded groups (homeless, elderly, disabled, ethnic minorities) may face spatial, social, political, or economic exclusion.

Insider vs. Outsider Characteristics (Country X)

Exclusion in Rural Areas (UK)

• Black or Minority Ethnic (BME) population underrepresented in rural activities/organizations.

  • low BME members of organizations like the Youth Hostel Association or the National Trust

  • less than 1% of visitors to UK National Parks were of a BME background.

• Reasons for lack of participation:

  • Historical imagery: Media dominated by historical images of rural Britain before immigration.

  • Southern bias: Immigrants concentrated in urban areas, with little connection to rural idylls.

• Initiatives to address underrepresentation:

  • YHA encourages young BME volunteers.

  • Mosaic project builds links between BME communities and organizations like National Parks.

Near and Far Places

• Anthropologists find that all cultures distinguish between "us" and "them."

Perceptions of Near vs. Far

National Identity, Difference, and Xenophobia

• The "us" vs. "them" idea is universal, reflected in language (e.g., slang terms).

• Perceived distance can lead to various behaviors, from mild mocking to hate crimes.

• Racist ideologies have been used to justify atrocities in wartime or under colonial powers.

Fairtrade: A Different Approach to the "Other"

• Fairtrade aims to reduce inequalities by treating all growers/producers with equal respect:

  • Trade: fair prices, long-term contracts, Fairtrade premium payments.

  • Representation: case studies of farmers to market products, showing human stories.

Time-Space Compression

• Understanding of near/far depends on travel methods and distance measurement (time/kilometers).

• Faster travel/internet contact breaks down divisions.

• Globalisation reduces the importance of space; "the near is often an expanding domain." (Levy, 2014)

• Technology overcomes the friction of distance.

Experienced Places and Media Places

• Human geographers are interested in how media shapes our understanding of places.

• Media representations can contrast with official cartography or government statistics due to differing purposes/audiences.

Direct Experience vs. Media Representations

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View 1: Direct experience allows understanding of a location's true nature.

• Sensory experience: Stimulates senses, leading to deeper understanding.

• Genius loci: "Spirit of a place"; unique characteristics shaped by endogenous factors, which new developments should consider.

• Persuasive writing: Personal experience informs authentic accounts.

View 2: Place-meanings are personal, socially constructed, and informed by media.

• Politics and power: Dominant groups benefit from widely-held place-meanings.

• Interdependence: Media images are important due to global flows of products, services, people, capital, and ideas (exogenous factors).

• Information age: Overabundance of media images.

Factors Contributing to the Character of Places

• Factors shaping a place originate from:

  • Within the locality (endogenous factors).

  • Beyond the locality (exogenous factors).

Endogenous Factors

• Include:

  • Land use (agricultural, urban, industrial).

  • Topography (hills, mountains).

  • Physical geography (floodplain, river valley).

  • Economic characteristics (primary, secondary, tertiary, quaternary industries).

  • Location (height above sea level, coastal location).

  • Built environment (architectural styles).

  • Infrastructure (transport links).

  • Demographic characteristics (ageing/youthful population, ethnic makeup).

• Accents and local dialects contribute to lived experience and sense of place, but can also promote stereotyping.

• Census data provides quantitative insights into local communities.

Exogenous Factors

• Influences originating outside the locality (e.g., workers from a village commuting to a nearby town).

• Involve movement/flows of people, resources, ideas, money, and investment across space.

Migration within the EU

• Freedom of movement allows immigration and emigration within the EU.

• Post-2004 EU enlargement saw increased immigration to the UK.

• Impacts are uneven across the country.

• Immigration supported industries (fish processing, farming) and led to new shops but also strained resources (schools).

Place as a Social Construction

• Places are:

  • Dynamic, not static.

  • Socially constructed; products of unequal power relations.

Examples

• Shanghai: Rapid changes driven by global connections, investment, economic boom, and population growth.

• Milton Abbey, Dorset: "Naturalistic" landscape carefully planned, reflecting economic power and social processes of the aristocracy.

• Poundbury, Dorset: Urban extension designed by an aristocrat, reflecting specific design principles.

Forces of Change

• Various players shape places, operating at different scales:

  • Individuals (activists, aristocrats, celebrities).

  • Local community groups.

  • Local government.

  • National government.

  • National institutions.

  • Transnational corporations (TNCs).

  • International institutions (EU).

  • Global institutions (WTO).

Rebranding and Place-Meaning

• Rebranding aims to change perceptions and behavior to boost footfall or employment prospects.

• Occurs at different scales and addresses different audiences.

Local Scale: Llandudno, North Wales

• Rebranding as "Alice Town" to capitalize on literary link to Alice in Wonderland.

• Existing place-meaning: Victorian seaside resort.

• New approach: Walking trails, apps, "Alice Day." Mixed local reception.

• Local benefits: Profits reinvested in community projects; new businesses created.

National Scale: Great Mandarin Names for Great Britain

• Visit Britain campaign targeting Chinese market to increase visitor numbers.

• Campaign aimed to bridge cultural divide by giving Mandarin names to regional attractions.

• Impact: New Mandarin names for attractions, boosted interest in UK travel, reached millions in China.

Critically Evaluating Representations of Places

• We rely on various images to understand places.

• It is important to critically evaluate media representations to understand their impact on place identity.

Reliability

• Media sources are secondary, creative interpretations.

• Critical interrogation helps determine reliability.

Positionality

• Researchers' views are subjective, limited by their own perspectives.

• Awareness of this helps take a more reflective approach.

Interrogating Media Texts/Images

• Consider:

  • Source's provenance (creator, purpose, context).

  • Positive/negative impression given of the place.

  • Symbols, stereotypes, metaphors used.

  • Author/artist's choices (vocabulary, color palette, camera angle).

  • Comparison to other sources.

  • What the source is silent about (subtexts, omissions).

  • Relationship to wider geographies/processes in society.

  • How your interpretation is colored by your own experience.

A Golden Age of Data?

• Data about people is often geolocated due to GPS technology.

• This provides insights into how we live and how communities differ.

The UK Census

• Most complete source of population information.

• Surveys everyone at the same time with the same questions.

Analysing the Census

• The Office for National Statistics (ONS) organizes responses geographically.

• Summarizes/aggregates data to:

  • Give anonymity.

  • Allow wider conclusions about populations at different scales.

Big Data

• Characteristics:

  • High volume: Whole datasets, requiring computational power.

  • High velocity: Often real-time information.

  • Linked to our digital footprint: By-product of digital interactions.

• Concerns about monitoring of online activity.

• Spatial element allows analysts to make predictions about populations.

The English Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) 2015

• Published by the UK Government to inform decision-making/investment.

• Ranks over 32000 neighborhoods based on seven domains.

Domains of Deprivation

• Income

• Employment

• Education

• Health

• Crime

• Barriers to housing and services

• Living environment
  Data about income and employment have higher weighting.
  Geographic distance is a barrier to services.

Complex Pattern of Deprivation

• Some neighborhoods consistently ranked among the most deprived.

• Areas most affected are in Merseyside and Greater Manchester.

• London boroughs showed improvement due to Olympic investment.

Place Study: Detroit: Boom and Bust

Location and Early Development

• Site and situation shaped early development.

• Located on the Detroit River, connecting Lakes Huron and Erie to the Atlantic Ocean.

• Founded as Fort Pontchartrain du Détroit by French colonialists in 1701.

• Shipping and shipbuilding brought wealth in the 19th century.

Economic Success and Expansion

• Part of the "Steel Belt", connecting iron ore mines with coal resources.

• Home-grown companies (Ford, General Motors) manufactured standardized products.

New Workers Needed

• Millions of African Americans migrated from the rural southern states during the "Great Migration".

• Driven by racism and lack of economic opportunities in the South.

Growth of the City and the Suburbs

• Population became increasingly dependent upon the car.

• Suburbs were not incorporated into Detroit, leading to falling tax receipts due to increased competition.

Competition and Fuel Insecurity

• International oil crises prompted drivers to buy vehicles with greater fuel economy.

• Asian competitors produced more desirable models.

• Detroit's big employers cut jobs and shut down plants.

Milestones in Economic Decline

• 2008: Toyota overtook General Motors; Detroit became the capital of the Rust Belt.

• 2008: Financial bailout of Ford, General Motors, and Chrysler.

• 2013: City of Detroit declared bankruptcy.

Demographic and Cultural Change in the Twentieth Century

• Motown record label fused black soul music with white pop sound.

Mapping a Segregated City

• Grosse Pointe Park highlighted as an example of segregation in detriot.

• Racial segregation map shows predominantly African American population surrounded by white suburbs.

• Race riots in the 1940s and 1960s and racial segregation of schools and housing reinforced ghettos.

Social Processes Create Spatial Patterns

• 'White flight' to the suburbs due to higher incomes and increased affordability as they where able to commute from the suburbs.

• New socio-economic, spatial pattern created by the process of 'white flight'.

Distrobution of Ethnic groups.

• Hispanic

• White

• Asian

• Others

• African American

• Movement of African American middle-income families to the suburbs seeking better schools and reduced crime.

Alter Road, Grosse Pointe Park: A National News Story

• Residents sought to maintain the divide by creating new physical obstacles.

• Authorities of Grosse Pointe Park restricted traffic from East Side - inner city, with farmer markets.

• This was widely seen as a metaphor for the enduring division of Detroit's demographics and populations, by income and race.

• Large Median household income discrepancies between the two demographic breakdowns.