Changing Places

• Location

  The physical point of where a place is.
• Locale

  Each place is made of several locales (e.g., an office, a park, a home) which affect social behaviours based on social rules we understand.
• Sense of Place

  The subjective and emotional attachment to a place; its meaning.
• Placelessness

  Suggests that a place is not unique.

  
  

  Clone towns are created by the dominance of chain shops - everywhere is the same.
• Attachment

  Attachment to a place grows over time.

  
  

  The greater the intensity and number of experiences you have in a place, the greater the depth of attachment you will have to a place.
• Importance of Place - Identity

  Place can be critical to the construction of identity, as a sense of place is typically first formed in relation to our home and local geographical area.

  
  

  People typically identify with their local place as they have a greater knowledge of the area and people.
• Identity - Localism

  An affection for/emotional ownership of a particular place; can be displayed by 'nimbyism' where people do not want their local area to be affected by development.
• Identity - Regionalism

  Consciousness of, and loyalty to, a distinct region with a population that shares similarities.
• Identity - Nationalism

  Loyalty and devotion to a nation, which creates a sense of national consciousness, e.g., patriotism.
• Importance of Place - Religion

  Can be used to foster a sense of identity and place.

  
  

  It is a place where people of the same religious identity gather to worship.
• Insider and Outsider Perspective

  Place allows people to create an identity, as individuals share characteristics that create a shared identity for all people from that place.

  
  

  Relating identity to places means people can be perceived as belonging (insiders) or not (outsiders).

  
  

  Insider– someone familiar with a place and feels welcome in it.

  
  

  Outsider– someone who feels unwelcome or excluded from a place.

  
  

  Many factors can make someone feel like an outsider, e.g., age, sexuality, gender.
• The 'Other'

  Refers to people who are unfamiliar/different to the self.

  
  

  Conflict can begin when people with different identities meet.

  
  

  When people are 'other' it is easier to be prejudiced against them, as they seem 'alien' and can be dehumanised.

  
  

  Both migrants and locals can see the other as 'other', causing a lack of social integration, and then conflict.
• Near Places

  Near places can be thought of as geographically close to where a person lives.

  
  

  People will more likely feel like insiders in near places as they have experienced the place.
• Far Places


  Far places can be thought of as geographically far from where a person lives.

  
  

  People are more likely to feel like outsiders in far places as they have not experienced them.
• Effect of Globalisation on Near and Far Places

  Globalisation has affected the experience of geographical distance - e.g., improvements in technology creates quicker travel.

  
  

  TNCs also mean that far places feel similar to near places.

  
  

  This means that it is increasingly likely that people may feel closely connected to and more like insiders in places that are geographically far.
• Experienced Places


  Experienced places– places that a person has spent time in.

  
  

  When a person visits or lives in a place their experiences shape their sense of that place.
• Media Places


  Media places– places that a person has only read about or seen on film.

  
  

  The reality of a place can be different to that presented by the media.

  
  

  Most would also argue that you have a more intense experience by visiting a place, creating a stronger attachment.
• Genius Loci


  The spirit of a place.

  
  

  Suggests that every place has a unique atmosphere, based on everything the location is made of, now and historically.
• Endogenous Factors


  The internal factors that shape a place’s character.

  
  

  Land use- affects perception of place as urban or rural. Land use can also change (e.g., deindustrialisation).

  
  

  Topography- shape of the landscape.

  
  

  Physical geography- environmental features of a place.

  
  

  Infrastructure- built services that enhance or are essential to living conditions.

  
  

  Built Environment- the architecture of an area.

  
  

  Demographic characteristics- who lives in a place.

  
  

  Economic characteristics- money and work; directly contribute to character of place.

  
  

  Location- e.g., proximity to coast.
• Exogenous Factors


  External factors that originate from outside a place and provide linkages with and to other places.

  
  

  Migration- the shifting flow of people, e.g., brings new culture.

  
  

  Economic changes- shifting flows of money and investment, e.g., movement of business (outsourcing), deindustrialisation.

  
  

  Resources- availability of raw materials.

  
  

  Technological change- shifting flow of ideas; people are more connected and this changes culture, e.g., Americanisation.
• Shifting Flows


  Places are constantly changing because the factors that create their character are constantly changing.

  
  

  Previously, it was endogenous factors that created the character of a place, and exogenous factors have caused that character to changeover time.

  
  

  Flows have increased recently due to improvements in transport and communications, creating stronger connections –globalisation.
• Economic Characteristics - Flows of People


  People visiting places can change the economic characteristics of it, as it may become a popular tourist destination, altering the types of jobs available to service-based jobs.
• Economic Characteristics - Flows of Resources


  The outward flow of local products or natural resources can have an impact on local economies, as products once consumed locally are now sold to global markets.
• Economic Characteristics - Flows of Money and Investment

  Can have both a positive and negative impact on the economic characteristics of a place.

  Reduced investment and increased competition in the global market caused widespreaddeindustrialisationin the UK.

  However, inward flows of investment can also have a positive impact.
• Social Inequality - Flows of People


  Regional rural-urban migration (in LICs) has changed social characteristics and social inequality levels.

  
  

  This is because the migrants typically have a low quality of life which contrasts with the high quality of life the wealthier residents have.
• Social Inequality - Flows of Resources

  The outward flow of natural resources from poorer countries can change levels of social inequality.

  
  

  E.g., large amounts of oil are extracted and exported but the wealth generated goes to a small group of individuals.
• Social Inequality - Flows of Money and Investment

  The process ofgentrificationhas improved the social characteristics of some places, but it also increases inequality.
• Forces Driving Change - Government Policies


  Affect thedemographic characteristicsof places – can introduce policies to control population, such as the one-child policy in China to reduce rapid population growth.

  Other policies like lower taxes and better maternity leave can encourage the birth rate.

  Control of cultural characteristics– controlling immigration.

  Some policies effect demographic, economic and social characteristics – funding of schemes to regenerate places.
• Forces Driving Change - Decisions of TNCs

  Have major impacts on the demographic, economic, and social characteristics of a place.

  Investment of a TNC can give cities an economic boost, which encourages migration for well-paying jobs.

  However,outsourcing(moving industry to countries with cheaper labour) can cause reduction in employment, social deprivation, and massivepopulation decline(as people move away).
• Forces Driving Change - Impacts of International and Global Organisations

  World Food Programme– provides food assistance, affecting social and demographic characteristics by ensuring people have enough food and preventing deaths from starvation.

  World Bank– invests in and helps set up projects that are aimed at reducing poverty, affecting the demographic, social and economic characteristics of a place.
• Past and Present Connections


  Connections between places in the past shape their character in the present, and new connections are made between places in the present, also affecting their character.

  Many settlements in the UK developed due to theirendogenous factors.

  TheIndustrial Revolutionalso caused large-scale rural-urban migration as people sought work in the factories, and these industrial centres remain major cities today.

  Deindustrialisation– the closure of factories due to increased automation, competition and outsourcing – meant that cities remained large in population but were less well-connected due to the loss of trade, suffering economic and social decline.
• Meanings of Place


  Meaning– the sense of place and character that individuals or organisations give to a place.

  Representation– how a place is presented by individuals or organisations, such as businesses or councils, portray places to others.

  Groups, e.g., TNCs, drive changes to places and are known asforces of change.

  Individuals or organisations can represent places differently depending on their perspective.

  Representation and meaning can affect perception of a place and also help generate identity based on places they feel connected to.
• Representations of Place - Quantitative

  Gives quantitative information about a place.

  Objective, but groups can manipulate the data to push a narrative.

  
  

  Can be misleading, so is more reliable when compared with another source.

  
  

  E.g., Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)
• Representations of Place - Qualitative


  Visual representations(e.g., photography, paintings) can give a sense of a place, but can also be misleading - only shows what the artist wants you to see/their interpretation.

  Written representationscan give an emotional impression of a place, but only offer theperspective of the author.
• Perception of Place


  The meaning attributed to a place that is developed through what we have heard, seen, or read about it.

  Some groups try toinfluencepeople’s sense of place so that they can change people’s behaviour towards those places.

  Governments can do this toattract people or investmentto places.
• Place Marketing


  Places are sold by marketing companies, often to improve/create positive perceptions of a place.
• Re-Imaging


  Changing existing negative perceptions of places and generating a new, positive set of ideas.
• Regeneration


  A long-term process improving an area that has been experiencing a period of decline.

  Top-down approaches– decisions are made by authorities and agencies that are imposed on local communities.

  Bottom-up approaches– decisions based on listening to local people’s opinions and with local involvement from the community.
• Rebranding


  Forces of changeaim to give a place a new identity.

  Done to encourage tourism/attract new investors.

  Issues- its difficult to satisfy as many stakeholders (e.g., residents, potential investors) as possible.

  Some city rebranding/regeneration projects have actuallydriven out the localsthey originally intended to help, as therising property prices/rentshave favoured more affluent people.
• Corporate Bodies


  Corporate body– an organisation or groups of persons that is identified by a particular name, e.g., institutions, businesses.

  Many corporate bodies will have an interest in a place, but some will want to manipulate perceptions of place.