changing places

KEY DEFINITIONS

place - a geographical nexus of connections, links including flows of people, ideas, information, wealth and thing

location - a place on a map (with a latitude and longitude)

locale - a variety of settings that affect how you behave, where you interact with people (public/private)

sense of place - the subjective and emotional attachment that creates a meaning in a place

placelessness - when an area is generic and could be located anywhere, it is often homogenised, for example an airport

culture - the group of people who create a sense of place through history and traditions

insider - someone who lives in an area and is aware of its intricacies and history, they often respect their home more than outsiders

outsider - someone who has no experience of a place firsthand and doesn’t know a sense of place

changing places - all places change and develop over time

external linkages - connections to a place to form a nexus

nexus - a connection or series of linkages

endogenous factors - factors from within a place

exogenous factors - factors from the outside

homogenisation- the process by where places and social characteristics become more similar and become indistinguishable, causing placelessness

INSIDER VS OUTSIDER PERSPECTIVES

insiders have accumulated knowledge, from living and experiencing a place day-in-day-out. they have an awareness of culture and preconceived ideas

outsiders have discovered knowledge compared to other people, they learn from researching and see everything fresh. outsiders have a vague sense of place and an unbiased objective view

TYPES OF PLACE

near place - some places are more familiar than others due to personal experience, caused by the everyday proximity of everyday life

far place - some places are globally connected and can be moved between and are often seen as exotic

experienced place - a place a person has spent time in

media place - a place a person has only read about or seen on film (news), this can distort a sense of place

public place - often places that allow people to visit and move freely around it

private places (fields of care) - a place where only a limited number of people go that can feel disconnected from everyday, often a person has stronger interpersonal a ties with this place

ENDOGENOUS VS EXOGENOUS FACTORS

endogenous factors are from within

topography

landscape and terrain

population structure

location

land use

exogenous factors are from outside, often caused by external flows and connections

FDI and investment

migration

tourists

imports and exports

PALIMPSEST

a palimpsest is something that has been reused or altered but still bares traces of its earlier form. trafalgar square in London’s west end

trafalgar square was the first planned public square. in 1832 the national gallery was built bringing tourist, nelson’s column was constructed in n1959 and the land seer lion were added in 1867. the statue of Charles I was moved here and other structures have been built, such as admiralty arch and the fountains

there is a continuous change as the statues in the square change once’ a year, other buildings are also built around it such as charring cross station built meaning the place is more connected and accommodating for tourists

HOMOGENISATION

as places become more similar homogenisation occurs. improvements in IT and technology, along with an increase in migration causing the spread of ideas and culture. time/space convenience/convergence allows improved interactions between places in a shorter time, places also try to attract TNCs. better living standards and quality of life appear as places develop and globalisation causes a change in economic activity and changes in political and cultural activity

DATA COLLECTION AND REPRESENTATION

qualitative data is wordy and subjective, it is often an opinion. quantitative data is objective and numerical, it can be a fact and can be measured, it can also be manipulated easily as data

qualitative data is unstructured answers that allow more insight, it is more valid and more casual for interviewees. it is useful or understanding and allows openers. it is easy to collect and more detailed, these opinions can be more helpful, there are now artificial categories and is often the only historical data that can be compared to see change

qualitative data is subjective and there are problems in authenticity. it can be affected by leading questions. this data is often collected on a small scale and takes a lot of time, it is hard to see bias, present data and analyse it. it also doesn’t have a real measureable scale

quantitative data is reliable and can easily be presented, for example in graphs. you can easily average and see trends and anomalies. you can use this data to test hypothesis and you can repeat collection to compare, this data also allows for larger samples

quantitative date is not very in depth and very prone to human error. it can be hard to understand and bias is invisible as external factors are not shows, causing hidden truths

data can represented in multiple ways

reviews

maps

models

globes

music

art

censuses

newspapers

word of mouth

film

social media

pictures

movie and trailers are unreliable as movies are often unreliable as they show you a small view of a normally fictional part of a place, the genre can affect how a place is presented and provide a poor sense of place due to the great exaggeration. it also takes a long time to watch a movie, but it visits many locales in a place, they can also be filmed on a set

choropleth maps are easy to read and understand, they are useful as numerical data can be easily understood. it can form a sense of place easily but data is not representative of a whole are and can be generalised, this data can be combined with other data for a better understanding, but it provides an easy quick view

songs provide qualitative data, it is hard to listen and note important information at the same time and the more songwriters the more representative the data, you can analyse lyrics when written down and some time there can be data in the lyrics, music can also be affected by taste

articles are a mix of quantitative and qualitative data, it can show patterns and doesn’t survey just one opinion photos in the article can help build a sense of place for a media place, there can be bias, but overall it is easy to gain a sense of place from this

TV shows are often played up for drama, people are dressed up and only the interesting parts are used for TV. not all people act like the people in the show. however some real opinions are shown, but they may be a face for TV. it takes a lot of intake to get a sense of place, but it does show private locales that might be hard to see in a normal media place

magazines are qualitative data often informally presented, maps allow you to see a trend and anomalies, there is often bias and positive articles don’t show negatives and vice versa. magazines can impact your perception but can also have stigma, they can also be tailored for a desired audience

censuses have lots of data that creates a good sense of place, they can also be analysed and compared to past ones to observe change

art and photos can be good snapshots but doesn’t have any sensory elements, making it hard to get a sense of place. additionally only a small area is shown

all media is biased showing only a single side due to agenda, multiple pieces of varying media are needed for a better sense of place with a more representative idea

geospatial data is data represented on a map to show a location, often showing human/man-made factors. this along with GIS can be used to help further understanding of a place and locale’s character as you can access data that you can’t find on the street. racial distribution can help you see segregation and cosmopolitan areas. energy usage can help you gauge high income areas to observe affluence

CASE STUDY BRIGHTON

brighton is an experienced near place, it has changed a lot over time due to different factors. its proximity to london means easy connections causing FDI. human conservation of history means less historic loss reducing placelessness

some endogenous factors are the south downs, bringin environmentalists but also stopping the expansion of the city, protected land creates an artificial rural/urban border. the south facing aspect makes sunny summers for tourists, good views also increasies the land value along the coast. the english channel on the south provides entertainment for tourists and residents. steep land limitis expansion and lmitis northerly connections

exogenous factors can affect change over time. the green party’s only constituency is in brighton meaning many green spaces are preserved. sports stadiums such as the amex is funded by large external companies. the I360 was built by british airways boosting tourism but reduced house prices by 25%. large investments and developments bring more people in and provide more jobs, eg the universities, these also mean more students nad a younger demographic move one, bringing a more lively culture that is more diverse. land use is maximise and the piers are built to capitalise on tourism as brighton is seen as a weekend retreat. major chains are also built in the churchill square making a homogenised area in the CBD, its connections means easy migration and the ability to become a commuter town

changes occur over time in brighton as street pattern becomes less regimented in the suburbs and small narrow streets are built in the centre, large expansions occur such as towns like woodingdean being built former subrurban sprawl. placelessness grows as more tourist attractions are built and some beach is lost

brighton has been homogenised as the pier has been built, similar to most british seaside towns. chuchill square has big brands and has become generic. row housing has no charm or uniqueness and transport has been generalised. gentrification has happened and the amex looks similar to the rest of the stadiums in the premier league. congestion in the centre has also occurred

brighton is independent as the lanes preserve cultural history. the pavilion is individual and has become part of the brighton identity. the beach is only seen in some towns and the I360 is a unique landmark. pride and the LGBTQ+ community has made brighton the gay capital of the UK. also the green party’s one hold is brighton. bizzare events also occur such as the neaked bike ride

quantitative data

using GIS you can analyse brighton further

looking at deprivation you can see rural areas are suffering from rural-urban migration, only small areas are becoming more deprivation meaning more development is occurring in brighton. there are meany affluent areas near the CBD, there is a higher quality of life due to more green spaces in affluent areas. there are large stable areas of long term residents

looking at retail distribution you can see a lack of congregational spaces and high concentrations in the centre where homogenisation has occurred with many TNC setting up

broadband speed allow you to see the lack of infrastructure in the CBD, there is high speed near the stadium due to FDI and quite houghton speed all round meaning that brighton is a well maintained place overall which may mean there is a comfortable sense of place

energy consumption helps you see non domestic and domestic use, there is high use in affluent areas, where people can afford to use more, less energy is used in shopping districts as the buildings are only used for half a day. you can also see lots of energy being used near the station as tourism and commuting occurs hear bringin more people

brighton has grown overtime through improvements in transport and standards of living. households have gotten smaller meaning more hokies need to be built and counter urbanisation requires growth as subrubanisation means people move back to rural areas

qualitative data

the article on homelessness tells us that homelessness has increased by 20x in brighton with 1/3 of the homeless people being under 18. this creates a negative sense of place with lots of drugs, danger and crime however brighton tries to help with shelters, showing some care. this creates an image of isolated communities where the situation is getting worse

the book extract from brighton rock is a book about crime, it has a contrast between tourism and crime and was written in 1938. it has insider perspectives with bias, trying to highlight the hidden crime. it shows a hard reality that allows you to compare to today but very one sided, allowing you to see the negatives in brighton. it is fiction

the 1940s brighton rock movie is a movie adaptation about gangsters, it shows the business of old brighton and has dark undertones, it can be compared with today and is very dated not making an accurate sense of place. it can also be compared with the newer movie

the 2011 brighton rock movie is based on the book brighton rock but brought forwards in time, it shows more culture as it is set in the 1960s, depicting the mods vs rockers. it is hyperbolised for entertainment. the feeling from the movie of culture and people can transfer into your sense of place. however this movie was not set in brighton but rather eastbourne

the article on pride paints a positive picture promoting pride and what to do. it show brighton as very inclusive that celebrates everybody. it makes a welcoming image relevant r for showingg feeling and sense of place but doesn;t highlight some problems as racism and homophobia is present everywhere

the comparison pictures of brighton seafront are easy to analyse but are subjective. it is quliatitive but allows you to see the increase in tourism and development through urbanisation. it only shows a snapshot of one are in brighton but you can see that change happens quickly in brighton

the visit brighton webpage is made and curated by the council, it is very positive with well chosen photos as it is used to attract outsiders and affect your sense of place. it shows events you might not have heard of. you can see history but this data is very biased

the poems ‘on brighton beach’ and ‘gorgeous - yet another brighton poem’ show beauty and the attractiveness of brighton, they portray a sense of calm and show insider perspectives but are subjective and don’t show change

the geospatial data illustrates the diverse centre with less people of white ethnicity, unemployment and home ownership which can be linked. you can see the place is multicultural and well off with not many impoverished areas. you can easily manipulate the date but its hard to see change and it doesn’t create a full sense of place

infrastructure

CASE STUDY SINGAPORE