Space and Place

• What is the definition of

  place?A place is a space that has been given meaning by an individualslived experience.

  
  

  Places aremultifaceted, shaped byshifting flowsand connections, with change over time.
• What is the definition of

  space?Exists between places and does not have the same meaning attached as a place does. It is a location that can be given a latitude and a longitude.
• What is a place profile?

  A description of a place, based on the combination of its characteristics.
• What


  socio-economic characteristicscontribute to the identity of a place?Poverty, education, literacy rates, family size, average income, type of jobs, healthcare, % unemployed
• What


  political characteristicscontribute to the identity of a place?Political system, effectiveness of local authorities, democracy, monarchy

  
  

  Parish Council (local)

  District Council

  County Council (regional)

  MP (national)
• What


  demographic characteristicscontribute to the identity of a place?Total population,ethnicities,age structure, gender
• What


  physical geographicalcharacteristics contribute to the identity of a place?Geology, topography, drainage, climate, rivers, coasts, relief, aspect, altitude
• What aspects of the

  built environmentcontribute to the identity of a place?Age and style of houses, architecture, infrastructure, housing density, housing quality, landmarks and historical buildings
• How do we understand place?

  Location- where a place is, the coordinates

  
  

  Locale- a place is shaped by people, their cultures and traditions

  
  

  Asense of place- Personal feelings associated with a place. Developed through lived experience, it reflects emotional and subjective attachment

  
  

  Lived experience- Actual feelings and personal history of living in a place. The time spent in a place helps develop this
• What effects how people perceive place?

  Gender

  Religion

  Age

  Sexuality

  Role
• How and why do people experience places differently based on their identity -

  gender?Places can be described as male or female, a reflection of society's traditional view on gender roles. For example a football stadium would be perceived as typically male, and a home would be perceived as typically female.

  
  

  Women tend to feel less safe than men is spaces like dark alleyways, i.e 'geography of fear' - places with an unsafe perception are avoided.
• What is an example of a place where

  geography of fearis prominent?

  - Molestation statistics

  - Rape statisticsNew Delhi - India --> women try to avoid dangerous areas and going out in the dark.

  - Molestation is reported every 2 hours

  - Rape is reported every 4 hours.
• How and why do people experience places differently based on their identity -

  sexuality?Some places acquire a meaning because they are places where groups of people with the same orientation gather. Cities such as London, Brighton and Bristol have large concentrations of LGBTQ+ communities in certain areas, providing security. The 'pink pound' often brings economic benefits to an area, and can be used as a catalyst for regeneration.
• How and why do people experience places differently based on their identity -

  religion?Some places have religious and spiritual meanings which have been established over centuries. Natural features such as the Urulu play a key role in some religions, and are sacred to Aboriginals.

  
  

  Religious buildings such as the Great Mosque of Mecca form an essential part of worship and ritual, e.g. churches, synagogues and mosques.

  
  

  Places of pilgrimage are sacred to many religions, e.g. Mecca.
• How and why do people experience places differently based on their identity -

  role?As peoples' roles change, places' meanings change too. eg. for children their school has very different connotations and meanings than for their parents, or for an adult without children

  
  

  Role also influences perceptions of fear, anxiety and security, e.g. as a parent your perception of potential threats such as traffic may be heightened.
• How and why do many have a strong

  emotional attachmentto their homeland - case study?The Kurds
• Who are the Kurds?

  An ethnic group spread across Iran, Iraq, Syria and Turkey. There are about 28-30 million living in the heartland, making them the largest stateless nation in the world.
• Describe the human geography of Kurdistan

  High unemployment (14%), low GDP ($4,452), economy largely based on oil industry and agriculture - valuable to Iran, Iraq, Turkey and Syria
• Give an example of a place of national significance to the Kurds, to which strong meaning is attached?

  The Erbil Citadel - a Kurdish settlement built progressively on top of itself - a symbol of national pride as it shows how long they've been there. Strong meaningSee an expert-written answer!We have an expert-written solution to this problem!
• What are the Kurds doing today?

  Fighting in the Syria crisis for independence. The Kurds have long wanted their own independent state. The Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) is an organisation using armed conflict to bring about a Kurdish nation, but it is regarded as a terrorist organisation by the USA and EU economies.
• What is


  globalisation?Globalisation is the increasing interconnectedness and interdependence of the world, economically, socially, politically and culturally.
• What is

  time-space compression?A set of processes leading to a 'shrinking world', caused by reductions in relative distance between places eg. travel time
• What is a


  global village?The world has become more interconnected and therefore feels smaller. This is achieved by social media, technology and transport.
• Disadvantages of


  time-space compressionImproved communications and internet

  - Loss of distinct cultures (cultural globalisation) -- Americanisation and McDonaldisation

  - Erodes aspects of cultural identity by the spread of predominantly Western culture, e.g. food, fashion etc. around the world

  - Less able to access foreign cultures through travel

  - High streets becoming increasingly similar -- threatens independent businesses, as they are pushed out with gentrification processes

  - Increased competition between traders

  
  

  With gentrification and a loss of cultural identity, you get increasing property prices, which pushes some residents out and makes it difficult to get onto the property ladder

  
  

  Improved transport

  - Migration has become a greater issue (illegal immigration by boats)

  - People more likely to travel abroad for holidays, which has placed UK holiday resorts from the post-war years into decline
• Advantages of


  time-space compression:Improved communications and internet

  - Has facilitated the growth of tertiary and quaternary industries

  - Rapid flow of information across national and international borders

  - People can communicate instantly, e.g. international business has increased, or allows communication to be maintained between family and friends

  
  

  Improved transport

  - Ease of low-cost travel and flights makes international travel more accessible to more people

  - Ease of containerisation and food transport to ship goods -- improved trade between nations

  - More people able to migrate

  - Increased variety of currency worldwide/ more easily available
• What is


  cultural globalisation?A phenomenon by which the experience of life is influenced by the diffusion of commodities and ideas.
• Give an example of a country that have benefited from time-space compression?

  - Growth rate

  - Workforce?

  - Industrial parks?


  Time-space compression raised living standards in many poor countries such as Vietnam. Rapid growth 8-10% a year. Well educated low cost work force. 30 new industrial parks - 27,000 employed 2004.
• What are formal representations of a place?


  Vast quantities of data are collected and used to create factual information around which we form opinions and meanings about places, eg. geospatial date, or census data - collected every 10 years. Collects range of data eg. gender, qualifications, religion, ethnicity, heath, housing, employment etc. This gives a rational perspective of a place.

  
  

  Formal representation is limited in its ability to indicate the lived experience of a place
• What are informal representations of a place?


  Includes a diversity of media, such as TV, films, music, art, photography, literature and blogs, which play a major role in representing places and giving them geographical context through sights and sounds.

  
  

  Advertising can also highly influence how we view a place.

  
  

  Trip advisor is a modern-day form of informal representation that is highly influential - if people see a bad review, they are less likely to visit the place and more likely to have a negative perception of it.
• What are rural areas?

  Closely knit communities, sparsely populated, little diversity. In UK, rural areas have populations of less than 10,000 people
• What is rural-urban migration?

  Moving from rural to urban areas
• What is counter-urbanisation?


  Movement of people and businesses from towns and cities to rural areas
• What is suburbanisation?


  The movement of people from inner city areas to the suburbs of towns and cities, leading to the growth of suburbs and the extension of the urban areas
• What is intra-urban migration?

  Population movements within urban areas, eg. as families develop, housing needs change
• What is re-urbanisation (gentrification)?


  The movement of people and businesses back to the CBD and inner-city due to redevelopment and regeneration
• What does this tell us about the relationship between rural and urban areas?

  Rural-urban continuum - fluid and constantly changing. Becomes increasingly hard to distinguish between them
• What is social inequality?


  Differences in quality of life and standard of living due to the unequal distribution of a range of social factors, such as income, education and health across a population
• What is


  standard of living?The ability to access services and goods eg. basics such as food, water, clothes, housing and personal mobility.
• What is


  quality of life?The extent to which peoples' needs and desires (social, psychological and physical) are met.
• What is an example of a place with high standards of living but low qualities of life?


  Women in Saudi Arabia - very wealthy but low quality of life as can't express themselves