2.a Perception of place Flashcards
Age
Perception of places change as we get older and go through various life stages
* Moving through life cycle individuals residence changes and moves are often linked to changes in income or family size
* needs and functions of place change
* older - more time - more memories - highr emotional attachment
What are the five factors affecting perception of place?
- age
- gender
- role
- sexuality
- religion
Gender
- Traditionally many places defined as ‘male’ or ‘female’ → sparks feeling of isolation and negative
- A significant divide is seen between public and private spaces with a large western notion that women are in private places of the home while men are in public spaces i.e. offices and factories → women isolated on workplace as seen as ‘male’
- Safety plays a massive role leading to fear of this mental mapping making people avoid places they perceive to be unsafe and dangerous.
- ‘Geography of fear’ - some people which may cause for them to restrict personal geography
What is geography of fear?
A place that is perceived to be dangerous by people. This can be affected by gender,age, sexuality, ethnicity
Sexuality
As the acceptance rate becomes more widespread, some places that acquire a meaning of LGBT tend to cluster.
- people cluster in a place they can be themselves
- In some cities LGBT zones are ‘mapped’ out - have concentrations of gay bars and restaurants e.g ‘gay village’ in manchester
*
Religion - general argument
People have given places a spiritual meaning for millennials
* Some landscape features are sacred to certain humans - uluru rock to aboriginals
* Humans have long given religious meanings through buildings - ancient stones / stonehenge
- Christianity, Judaism and Islam give meaning through mosques, churches and synagogues.
Jerusalem is a significant place with meanings for all 3 religions
Judaism - represents most sacred site and ancient capital of jewish state
Christianity - site of christ’s resurrection and crucifixion
Island - site of muhammad’s night journey
Religion - positive
If their religion is reflected
* more included
* feel appraciated
* positive community feel
religion - negative
- osteracised
- excluded
- isolated
negative view
Role
Each of us performs a variety of roles and different times even within the same day.
- The role we have at one time can influence our perceptions of a location
- influence how we behave
- As we go through life we lose and gain roles - as we change so do our attitudes and perceptions of places
- Role influences perceptions of fear insecurity and anxiety → which are reflected in the way boundaries are used to include or exclude people within activities - such as mother fear of a city being scary
What is an emotional attachment to a place mean?
Viewing a place in a certain way it can be positive or negative but the place as meaning
Why are emotional attachments differing to people?
Memory is a personal thing due to the fact that experiences are unique to us. → memories are also highly selective so we only remember a few
Explains why some places are emotional attachment to some and not to others > as memories attached
What are the two ways we develop emotional attachment to a place?
- personal experiences
- social experiences
How do personal experiences influence emotional attachments to a place?
If we have a positive experience of a place we are likely to have a strong emotional attachment to that place and vice versa.
How do social experiences affect perception of place?
We can receive memories and feelings as part of a group e.g the very strong emotional attachments some sports fans feel to their team’s home ground.
OR negative such as Auschwits = heightened emotions and negative feel of space
Groups Kurds - attachment
- ethnic group across syria iraq and Iran
- Not a state or recognised nation
- connected through the longing of their land to be recognised and the collective suffering
- want collective establishment of their community
What is globalisation ?
increasing interconnectivity and interdependence of the world economically,socially, politically and culturally.
What is the concept of the ‘global village’?
is used to convey the idea that the world has become smaller due to its interconnectedness.
* Communications and flows of goods are quicker and more reliable
* Capital moves around the globe at the press of a key
More people travel further increasing frequently
What is the concept of time - space compression?
the relative distances between places is smaller → in terms of travel and cost due to technology transport and telecommunications advancing
time space compression technology impact
- Technology → faster movement
- Telecommunications → complexity of communications between places
- Social / political → type of information changed ie social media e.g Arab spring used to organise protest
Advantages time space compression
- Technology moving faster
- Brought global brands - apple / starbucks → sense of security
Disadvantages of time space compression
- Uniqueness of places lost ie clones
- losing chain stores and independence
- Retreat into localism / nationalism - is trump building a wall / brexit
Winners and losers time and space compressions
- Loss of manufacturing to EDCs with comparative advantages
- Local sense of place dominated by crime, unemployment, poverty
- Unable to feel connected as not able to afford it → isolate / places we know well feel resentment
- Ultra rich - experience world more
