Changing Places: Key Vocabulary - 3.2.2.1 The Nature And Importance Of Place Flashcards
Place
A location with meaning. Geographers refer to these aspects of place: location, locale, and sense of place
Location
A specific point on the Earth’s surface. ‘Where’ a place is (e.g. coordinates on a map)
Locale
The place where something happens or is set, or that has particular events associated with it. Unlike location, locale takes into account the effect that people have on their setting. I’m terms of locale, a place is shaped by people, cultured and customs within it.
Sense of place
The subjective feelings people have about places, including the role of place in their identity and group identity
Placelessness
The loss of uniqueness of place in the cultural landscape
Positionality
A theory in which different people perceive places in different ways depending on certain factors such as gender, race, age, religion, socioeconomic status etc.
Insider
Someone who is familiar with a place i.e. they feel like they belong there
Outsider
Someone who feels unwelcome or excluded from a place, i.e. they don’t feel that they belong there
Character
The physical and human geographic features that distinguish a particular place and make it unique.
Endogenous factor
The internal factors that shape a places character. These could be physical or human.
Exogenous factor
The external factors which shape a places character, including the relationship or links to other places and the flows in and out of a place e.g. the flows of people, resources, money and ideas.
What are some physical factors that influence a places character?
Climate, topography, and physical features e.g. rivers
What are some human factors that influence a places character?
Land use, built environment, demographic and cultural features
What are some physical examples of endogenous factors?
Location, topography, physical geography
What are some human examples of endogenous factors?
Land use, built environment, infrastructure and demographic and economic characteristics
Experienced place
A place that someone has spent time in. When a person visits or lives in a place their experiences, such as the things they see and the people they meet, shape their sense of place
Media place
A place that someone has not been to, but have created a sense of place through their depiction in the media (e.g. in books, art and film)
Near place
A place that is either geographically close, or a place that you personally feel is welcoming and familiar
Far place
A place that is either geographically far away or a place that is unfamiliar/uncomfortable to a person
