Factors contributing to the character of places

• What do we mean by the character of a place in geographical terms?

  • the phy and human features of a place and the interaction and inter-relations between these
• Factors that might influence the character of a place:

  1. Demographics > age categories
  2. Location > Lake District, Cumbria
  3. Built env > infrastructure, old grey houses in Kendal, urbanisation
  4. Political factors > decisions, policies, funding, central gov
  5. Mobility> e.g. social mobility
  6. Cultural > e.g. languages, ethnicities, Kendal Mint Cake
  7. Socio-economic > e.g. IMD, income
  8. Physical > west and east in valley, hills, rivers (Kendal)
• What are endogenous factors?

  • Factors that are internal to a place can affect its character
  • Endogenous factors can be human such as land use, infrastructure or architectural style

  
• Examples of endogenous factors

  > Physical factors:

  • location
  • geology
  • climate
  • Areas with specific topography and geology will have a specific character 
  • If an area is steep and mountainous > settlements designed in a linear pattern, & the town or village isolated from other nearby population centres 
  • If an area has a dominant rock type, such as slate or limestone, > affect the building materials & visual character of the area > also affect the local industrial character as there is likely to be a mining or quarrying tradition in the area
• Examples of endogenous factors:

  > Human factors also:

  • infrastructure
  • rail connections, motorways, public transport etc
  • land use > agri, indi, built env
  • socio-economic characteristics e.g. population size and employment rates > 30,000 ppl in Kendal
  • economic > primary, secondary, tertiary or quaternary indi

  
• What are exogenous factors?

  • Factors that are external to a place and affect its character 
  • These distant factors create a relationship between places and can have a significant influence 
  • more recent
• Examples of exogenous factors:

  • demographics, social, cultural, influences from outside e.g. decisions make elsewhere e.g. National Parks extending/ second home/ gentrifications, how they're shaped by recent processes

  > flows of people, resources, money and ideas:

  • flows of asylum seekers from the Middle East and Africa into European states inevitably will impact the character of these places
  • The largest refugee settlement scheme in the UK in the NE > changed the character of towns like Darlington and Redcar.  There are language classes, family drop in sessions & range of new businesses that have been created in the area, significantly changing its character. 
  • Flows of ideas from the USA contribute to an ‘Americanisation’ of many places around the world through changes in culture and language
• EXAMPLE: Kendal > endogenous factors > human:

  • the position in the valley was a site where a road (A6) could be built making Kendal a routeway town through the hills from S to N
  • a population of young professionals have been attracted to the location of Kendal on the edge of the Lake District with access to the 'playground for the outdoor enthusiasts' > festivals and events have linked to this e.g. Kendal Mountain festival
  • town supports a thriving arts scene based around the Brewery Arts Centre
• EXAMPLE: Kendal > endogenous factors > physical:

  • Kendal was built in in the valley of River Kent on land that slopes E to W rising from 50 to 100 m above sea level
  • soil in the area is heavy boulder clay > bad for drainage but good pasture land for sheep farming
  • Kendal known as the 'auld grey town' bc most of older buildings made of limestone
  • land rises E up to Benson Knott and W to Scout Scar so sheltered valley bottom where Kendal is
  • river Kent flows through Kendal > provision of water and powers textile mills and important source for washing wool and textiles
• EXAMPLE: Kendal > exogenous factors > human:

  • due to opps in tourism and hospitality in S Lakeland the town has attracted E EU migrants
  • international division of labour led to relocation of Clarks shoe manufacture to E Asia in 1990s
  • Kendal to Lancaster canal completed in 1819 and allowed movement of wool and textile manu to mills and markets in Lancashire
  • completion of railway line from Oxenholme to Kendal and Windermere completed 1846 > growth of Kendal as tourist centre
  • Town centre retail mirrors trad lakeland shops and high % of local independent shops > but glob led to homogenisation with franchises e.g. McDonalds and Costa Coffee
  • Kendal linked to M6 via A591
• EXAMPLE: Kendal > exogenous factors > physical:

  • establishment of national park in 1951 made access to Lakes more open for general public and Kendal became 'gateway to the lake' > ppl visited on their way to/from Lakes
  • rising population and increase demand for housing led to increased pressure on rural urban fringe as well as brownfield redevelopments but affordable housing a key issue