content

• define place


  a location with an objective or subjective meaning
• what characteristics make up a plcce


  physical geography

  demography

  socio-economic

  cultural

  political

  built environment
• define space


  an area existing between places which doesnt have an objective or subjective meaning
• key factors influencing place perception


  age

  gender

  role

  sexuality

  religion
• how may age influence place perception


  perceptions change with age

  people move through a life cycle involving changing residence due to changes in income and family size
• how may gender influence place perception


  roles men and women have are reflected in ways they can move around and types of places they can be

  divisions along gender lines in separation of public and private spaces

  'womens place is in the home'

  question of safety influences mental maps - locations safe in day may not be at night

  places which are isolated and dark can represent a ' geography of fear ' for people
• how may sexuality influence place perception


  some places acquire a meaning because they are where LGBTQ+ communities cluster

  LGBTQ+ zones mapped in cities e.g., gay village

  economic aspect - emergence of 'Pink' Pound from LGBTQ+ tourism
• how may religion influence place perception


  people give locations spiritual meanings

  natural landscapes spiritual to certain groups - Ayers rock australia

  stonehenge

  cave paintings interpreted as having magical and religious significance

  construction of churches, mosques and synagogues

  Jerusalem - significant in christianity, judaism and islam

  religious places associated with healing, refuge and peace
• how may 'role' influence place perception


  people perform different roles at different times

  role influences our perceptions of a location and how we behave

  as we go through life and change roles, so do our perceptions of places

  influences perception of fear, insecurity and anxiety
• influence of emotional attachment to a place


  people remember places in different ways

  memory is personal because experiences are unique

  memories are also selective as we choose what to remember and what to not remember

  positive experiences = strong emotional attachment and vice versa
• influence of globalisation and time space compression on sense of place


  growing interconnectedness of the world has resulted in the world becoming metaphorically smaller = global village

  communications and flows of goods are quicker and more reliable

  changes due to this and time-space compression can be positive if the changes can be easily accommodated to, or negative if people feel no longer 'at home' in a location
• winners and losers in the effect of globalisation and time space compression on sense of place identity


  advantageous to those who can manipulate time space compression to their advantage and fit their sense of place to the global village

  disadvantageous to those who are unable to gain much from the shrinking world and who feel more controlled by it
• informal place representations


  television

  film

  music

  art

  photos

  literature

  graffiti

  blogs
• formal place representations 


  census data

  geospatial data
• define spatial inequality


  unequal distribution of resources and services across different areas or locations, such as healthcare, welfare, public services, household income and infrastructures.
• define quality of life


  extent to which people needs and desires are met

  can be seen in treatment of people
• define standard of living


  ability to access services and goods

  includes food, water, clothes, housing and personal mobility
• 4 aspects of quality of life and standard of living indicators


  political

  social

  economic

  physical
• political indicators of quality of life and standard of living


  opportunities to participate in community life and influence decisions
• economic indicators of quality of life and standard of living


  access to leisure services, open space etc

  access to employment

  percentage of lone parent families

  percentage of lone pensioners
• physical indicators of quality of life and standard of living


  quality of housing

  level of pollution

  incidence of litter

  graffiti

  vandalism
• social indicators of quality of life and standard of living


  incidence of crime

  fear of crime

  percentage on free school meals

  standards of health and access to health facilities

  standards of education

  percentage on state benefits
• 7 factors combined and used to measure social inequality


  income

  access to housing and services

  education

  health care

  employment

  crime

  living environment standards
• income as a measure of social inequality

  absolute poverty = US$1.25 / day

  relative poverty useful as relates level of poverty to income distribution across the population

  UK - relative poverty is 60% of median income

  Gini coefficient - ratio between 0 and 1 with values closer to 0 indicating more equal wealth distribution
• housing as a measure of social inequality


  ability to afford adequate accommodation closely related to income

  social inequality evident in type and quality of housing

  owning house outright more common in AC's
• education as a measure of social inequality


  contrasts in literacy levels give indications of inequality in education

  contrasts in formal and informal education
• healthcare as a measure of social inequality

  access to healthcare and levels of ill-health closely associated with inequality.

  strong link between poverty and ill-health reflecting variables such as number of healthcare professionals and access to adequate services.

  uk - postcode lottery used to describe unequal access to healthcare.

  access to clean water, effective sanitation, diet quality and quantity, housing type etc have major influences.

  social factors such as lifestyles and behaviours also influence health heavily.
• employment as a measure of social inequality


  whether a household includes someone who has regular income has impact of SOL and QOL

  unemployment difficult to measure because not all countries take counts of employment and definitions of ' employed ' differ

  LIDC'S and ED'C - lots of people ' employed ' in the informal sector but may still be in poverty
• wealth - how and why spatial patterns of social inequality vary


  ability to purchase goods and services fundamental to well being

  low incomes globally linked to ill health, lower educational attainment and poor access to services

  cost of living important when discussing wealth - income increases but increases in cost of food, housing, clothes etc outstrip income then person is relatively worse off

  key idea = disposable income
• housing - how and why spatial patterns of social inequality vary 2


  quality of accommodation significant influence on social inequality

  smaller income = less choice of housing

  poor quality housing and overcrowded conditions = ill health

  unequal access to housing market occurs when demand > supply

  LIDC's + EDC's = millions of people have no choice but to live in slums

  rapid urbanisation = authorities overwhelmed by scale of demand and lack of resources to increases supply of housing
• housing - how and why spatial patterns of social inequality vary 1

  homelessness growing problem in AC's

  AC's - affordability of housing influences S.I - rise in cost of housing inflates at faster rate than wages = those with irregular or lower incomes = excluded from housing market

  rise in second-home ownership and migration of wealthy people into villages/small towns raises prices beyond reach of young families
• health - how and why spatial patterns of social inequality vary


  sub-standard housing, poor diet, unhealthy lifestyles and additional stress of living in poverty = poor health

  access to health services unequal at all scales

  within local areas - elderly have limited mobility restricting their access

  rural areas - accessing healthcare can be issue for those without access to car or public transport
• education - how and why spatial patterns of social inequality vary


  differing access to educational opportunities maintains and creates inequality

  achieving universal primary education was one of millenium development goals and most governments invest in education to raise SOL and QOL

  illiteracy excludes people from access to education and skills training, therefore reducing employment opportunities
• access to services - how and why spatial patterns of social inequality vary (GLOBAL SCALE)


  how accessible services are to people affects SOL and QOL

  global scale - great inequalities between societies in AC's, EC's and LIDC's

  • germany ( AC ) 4.3 doctors per 1000 people
  • brazil ( EDC ) just below 2 doctors per 1000 people
  • kenya ( LIDC ) below 1 doctor per 1000 people

  people living in low status housing districts in AC's, EDC's and LIDC's all struggle to access services such as retailing, public transport or banking
• access to services - how and why spatial patterns of social inequality vary (NATIONAL SCALE)


  inequalities between regions

  people living in core regions where wealth and investment are high tend to have good access to services, whereas more peripheral regions suffer from limited access

  urban-rural divide in access to services - urban dwellers have better access however in both urban and rural areas those with higher incomes are nearly always advantaged
• access to services - how and why spatial patterns of social inequality vary - ( DIGITAL DIVIDE negative )

  digital divide exists in terms of both possessing the means to be online and the quality / speed of connection

  UK - contrasts between rural and urban areas via broadband speeds

  nearly all countries = growing investment into broadband but faster speed areas tend to get faster and slower areas lag behind

  social inequality can persist with growing technology in places where authorities restrict access to internet services e.g., severe censorship in china and north korea
• access to services - how and why spatial patterns of social inequality vary - ( DIGITAL DIVIDE positive )


  in some EDCs and LIDCs mobile phone technology is reducing inequality

  growth in satellite technology removes need to set up fixed copper cables and with solar powered recharging equipment even very remote places can be become interlinked
• access to services - how and why spatial patterns on social inequality vary


  3 factors influencing access to services

  • number of services
  • how easy it is to get the service
  • social and economic factors
• role of globalisation in economic change


  globalisation has led to increasing flows of ideas, capital, goods and services, and people

  global economy has become more knitted together

  TNC's and nation states are key players in global economy which drive changes that impact lives of billions of people
• influence of TNC'S and nation states as key players in global economic change due to globalisation 


  GLOBAL SHIFT = relocation of manufacturing production on a global scale

  economic restructuring saw loss of employment in primary and secondary sectors and AC's transformed into post-industrial societies where people mainly worked in tertiary and quaternary sectors