Changing places (character of places)

Question 1

Define ‘place character’:

Answer 1

Relates to the specific qualities, attributes or features of a location that make it unique (affected by exogenous and endogenous factors)

Question 2

Define endogenous factors:

Answer 2

Internal factors which shape a place’s character (physical - location, topography, physical geography / human - land use, built environment, infrastructure and demographic and economic activities)

Question 3

Give examples of endogenous factors that include physical characteristics of the landscape…

Answer 3

1) Location - where a place is (coastal or inland etc - e.g, coastal place may be categorised by a port due to direct proximity to the sea)

2) Topography - shape of landscape (e.g, in a valley places would be categorised as flat / mountainous regions categorised by steep slopes)

3) Physical geography - environmental features e.g, altitude, soil and rock type etc (categorised directly = igneous, sedimentary or metamorphic rocks form different landscapes / indirectly = a place rich in natural resources may be categorised in terms of industries)

Question 4

Give examples of endogenous factors that include human characteristics / activities that occur there…

Answer 4

1) Land use - agricultural, urban, industrial (e.g, urban = commercial / rural = farming) - other factors e.g, high density buildings required for business / residential lad used requires lower density built environment

2) Built environment - aspects of place built by humans e.g, Victorian, Modernist or high tech

3) Infrastructure - structures built for transport, communications and services (e.g, villages will have fewer buildings at a lower density)

4) Demographic characteristics - who live in a place /what they’re like (e.g, age, gender, birth rates, ethnicity etc- many people retire to seaside locations = ‘old’ places)

5) Economic characteristics - primary, secondary, tertiary or quaternary industries - e.g, Kensington, London, have a high proportion of above average earners / low employment = wealthy)

Question 5

Define exogenous factors:

Answer 5

Originate outside a place and provide linkages and relationships with and the flows in and out of other places
- places are connected through relative location and flows of people, resources, money and ideas

Question 6

Give examples of exogenous factors…

Answer 6

People - impact of tourists, workers, migrants, refugees, visitors and changing quantities of people (e.g, Germany has around 1.4 asylum seekers creating political / social disputes)

Money & Investment - trade deals, tax, major events, new business or movement of business from an area (e.g, investment into the London Borough of Stratford during Olympics = long-lasting impact on place)

Resources - availability of raw materials, products, food, water, energy (e.g, UK has good transportation networks so is food secure = if crops fail countries can make up for the deficit / in LIC this is not possible)

Ideas - entrepreneurs may move to an area to bring new business (ideas could be info about an area from another country)

Question 7

How does migration (exogenous) influence the character of places?

Answer 7

• UK has welcomed immigrants from the other 27 member countries
• parts of the UK have an ethnically diverse population (gives places unique demographic characteristics
• e.g, 27% of Birmingham population are Asian