Changing Spaces, Making Places Flashcards
What does a place include?
Location and meaning
When does a place come into existence?
When humans give meaning to a part of the larger, undifferentiated space
What characteristics shape the identity of a place?
Demographic, socio-economic, cultural, natural/physical environment, built environment and political
What is demographic?
Who lives there? How many people and what type of people? Who works there? Who visits the place? Age, gender and ethnic breakdown of the population?
What is the socio-economic characteristic?
Employment - % and what sectors? Income, education, family status and crime rates
What are cultural characteristics?
Religion, local traditions/events, clubs/societies/ groups
What is the natural/physical environment?
Altitude/relief, rivers/drainage, geology, aspect, natural resources
What is the built environment?
Road patter/layout, age and style of buildings and building materials
What are political characteristics?
Local MP - which party? What are the important issues in the area? Who runs the local council? Housing/resident assosiations?
Lympstone, East Devon: characteristics shaping a place’s identity
Natural environment: SW facing on the NE bank of River Exe estuary, occupying a small valley with its drainage cut by Wotton Brook. Red breccia cliffs mark the edge of the estuary, and extensive tidal mudflats extend out into the estuary which is 1.5km wide at Lympstone, small beach of pebbles and gravel runs along the foot of the cliff.
Demography: population density of 16.6 persons per hectare with a total population of 17, 800 (2017) and a top heavy age structure (25% of pop in 2011 census was over 65 years old). 48.5% male ad 51.5% female. Very homogenous 98.9% white.
Socio-economic: 1.7% unemployed, 63.1% of economically active population employed, 21% retired (10x higher than Toxteth) 70% of males are economically active vs 57% of females (older/traditional society). 35.2% of working population in management/professional roles. 66.1% of people own their own homes, with only 32.8% renting. 12.7% have no access to a car whilst only 4.1% of people have very bad/bad health (higher income better health). Only 14.1% of people aged 16+ have no formal qualifications.
Cultural: Christian tradition of Sunday services, long establish tradition of Christmas and Easter being key parts of the calendar, 47% of residents affiliated to Christian religion. Lympstone Furry Dance - day of festivities in August, fancy dress, carnival. Local clubs include choir that sings sea shanties, yoga, railway preservation and brownies.
Political: parish council will 11 elected people serving, various powers and duties focused on local matters, they express views on planning applications but have limited powers as both a district (East Devon) and a county council (Devon) exist above the local council. Part of an area that elects 2 district councillors and 1 county councillor. The parliamentary constituency that includes Lympstone (east Devon) has an electorate of just over 72,000 and returns just 1 MP.
Built: began to expand in the 19th century in response to some local fishing industries but mainly due to tourism, but remained a small village. 36.6%b of houses are detached, 29.3% semi-detached, 24.4% terraced, 9.7% flats. Former lower order shops have closed and been converted into residences, some new housing has been constructed, including large detached houses on the cliff top of the village’s periphery, the heart of the village is subject to strict planning rules and local residents protect the architecture. building materials include cob, local stone and brick with quite high density of housing.
Toxteth, Liverpool (inner city area): characteristics shaping a place’s identity
Natural: SW facing on east bank of the River Mersey, occupies undulating land rising up from the east bank of the River Mersey as it flows NNW into Liverpool Bay and the Irish Sea. A stream flows from the NE, dividing into 2 before discharging into the river. The Mersey is fast flowing past Toxteth as its channel narrows before passing into Liverpool Bay so there is little foreshore, a few mudflats are there.
Demography: population density of 87.7 persons per hectare (5x higher than Lympstone), total Liverpool pop is 336,430 but Riverside ward has 17,210 persons. Few elderly residents with the majority (75%) of residents aged between 16-64, significantly fewer children than Lympstone (14% vs 20%). 54% male and 46% female (a younger migrant population). Greater ethnic diversity exists 78.6% white, 6.9% black/African/Caribbean, 6% mixed race, 4.6% Asian (2011 census). Migrants have always been attracted to large cities such as Liverpool.
Socio-economic: 12% unemployed, 61% of economically active population employed, 2.4% retired, 73% males vs 67% females economically active, with 31.6% in management/professional roles. 24% own homes (3x less than Lympstone), 73% rent (over twice as high), 54/4% no car access, 9.4% very bad/bad health, 22.5% of 16+ have no formal qualifications.
Cultural: religion change around time of major Muslim festivals such as Eid and Ramadan, the importance of Friday prayers is apparent, 6% Muslim, 70% Christian.
Political: part of Riverside ward, one of 30 wards making Liverpool City Council, each returns 3 councillors. The city council has powers and duties similar to Lympstone, electorate of 73,000 in the Liverpool Riverside parliamentary constituency. Much political unrest associated with the July 1981 riots sparked by social inequality in long term and poor relations between police and black residents in short term (stop and search). Community Land Trust set up in L8 by residents who started a local market (now most popular) and are redeveloping derelict homes, selling or renting them at affordable prices to people who can claim a local connection.
Built: mostly terraced housing, housing families of those employed in docks and industries in the 19th century. Approx 90% terraced housing, Mosques and ethnic retailers are visual indicators of changing place, many buildings have changes their use and new ones have been constructed, using bricks leading to a high density of housing. Overall more urban and industrial.
Why is defining space and place inherently complex?
It is a subjective science, perception is an individual/subjective thing
What factors influence perception of place?
Age, gender, sexuality, religion, ethnicity, role in society, socio-economic status, stereotypes
What are diasporas?
A population of a country who have migrates abroad and keep strong identity ties and have strong emotional attachment to their homeland
Who are the Kurds? Where do they live? What is the physical and human geography of the region like?
The Kurds are an ethnic group spread across Turkey, Armenia, Syria, Iran and Iraq. There are 18-30million people in this area and another 2-3million living as a diaspora. They are the fourth largest ethnic group in the Middle East. They inhabit the regions surrounding the Zagros Mountains, consisting of an extensive plateau and mountain area spread over large parts of their region. They have lots of oil and gas reserves to sell
Why are the Kurds stateless and why do they have a strong emotional attachment to their place?
After the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire in 1920 the Kurds were promised their own state in the Treaty of Sevres which was later rejected by Turkish leaders, who then repressed Kurdish uprisings over a few decades. In 1988 there were poison-gas attacks on Kurdish cities from Iraqi leaders killing 5,000 Kurds, and then in1991 during the First Gulf War the northern Iraq Kurdish area came under international protection.
The Kurds have strong emotional attachment because they have been settled here for over 4,000 years and so believe it to be their home. This influences their behaviour because they want to set up their own sate and semi-autonomous government to run themselves, this has been slightly achieved because they have a small government and have their own military which have helped in the past against ISIS and other terrorist groups, they still want their own state however.
What is ‘Globalisation’?
The increasing interconnection and interdependence of the world’s economic, cultural and political system
What is Harvey’s ‘time-space compression’?
A reduction in the friction of distance, this creates what could be called a ‘global village’
What is time-space convergence?
The process, made possible by technological innovations in transportation and communication, by which distant places are brought closer together in terms of the time taken to travel (or send messages) between them
What are formal agencies?
Any recorded data or statistical representation of a place is known as a ‘formal agency’
What are types of formal agencies?
Census - started in 1801, and done every 10 years since in the UK
Geospatial data - data with locational positioning
What kind of information is recorded during a UK census?
Age, gender, employment, martial status, religion, ethnicity, type of accommodation, tenure, car ownership, dependants, long term limiting illness, household amenities, methods of transport to work
Why is census information important for government planning?
It gives data for education revives, healthcare services, planning infrastructure, housing and tackling crime
What are informal agencies?
TV, film, books, blogs, social media, photography, music, art/graffiti
What is social inequality?
The unequal distribution of factors such as income, education or health across a population. The uneven distribution of opportunities and rewards occur for different social groups, defined by factors such as age, gender, class, sexuality, religion or ethnicity
What is quality of life?
The extent to which people’s general wellbeing are met, including access to services such as health, education and leisure
What is standard of living?
people’s income and ability to access services and goods
What is multiple deprivation?
Occurs when a person’s standard of living and quality of life fall below a level which is generally thought of as an acceptable minimum, it is more than just poverty , although the two usually occur together, it is about a general lack of resources and opportunities
Which 7 indices make up the Index of Multiple Deprivation?
Income, housing, education, healthcare, employment, crime, living environment
Why is income part of the Index of Multiple Deprivation?
At a global scale, role of income in measuring inequality is seen in the World Bank’s definition of absolute poverty (less than $1.25/day PPP). The use of purchasing power parity (PPP) is important as the cost of goods and services can vary form country to country due to variation in the value of currency. Relative poverty relates level of poverty to distribution of income in a place. UK and EU - 60% of the median. The Gini coefficient is a ration between 0 and 1, the lower the value, the more equal income distribution.
Why is housing part of the IMD?
Being able to afford accommodation of an adequate standard is closely related to income. Housing tenure is an important indicator. Some rent from private landlords while others rent from a local authority. Charities also provide subsidised homes. The term squatter settlements applies when there is no legal right to the land.
Why is education in the IMD?
Formal education provided by schools, colleges, apprenticeships and universities. Informal education can be gained from doing something in the home or workplace. Acquisition of skills can be underestimated is only formal are measured. Literacy levels present clear contrasts around the world.
Why is healthcare in the IMD?
Access to healthcare and levels of ill-health are closely associated with social inequality. The measure of number of doctors per 1000 people is often used to show global health inequality. Health is not just a matter of medical provision, access to clean water, effective sanitation, quality and quantity of diet, type of housing and air quality. Also a matter of social behaviour and lifestyle
Why is employment in the IMD?
% unemployment is perhaps the single most important indicator, but it is not always straight forward. Not all countries take counts of employment and what counts can be difficult to quantify. Someone may be in employment but receiving low wages.
Why is access to services in the IMD?
Globally there is a great difference between ACs, EDCs, and LIDCs in people having access to education and healthcare but also services such as law enforcement. In most countries there is a rural-urban divide. % with access to internet is a useful measure.
What is in the cycle of deprivation?
Poverty (low wages or unemployment) -> poor living conditions (poor accommodation, overcrowding, run-down area) -> ill-health (stress and strain) -> poor education (old schools) -> poor skills (poor occupational skills) -> poverty
What is the Human Development Index?
A composite indicator of inequality. The most accurate measure of a country’s development, based of an economic, health and education indicators. It is a composite development indicator accounting for income (PPP in US$), life expectancy at birth and adult literacy rate and average number of years spent in school. All three variables are weighed equally and the final score will be between 0 (least developed) and 1 (most developed)
What are the two types of economic change?
Structural and cyclical
What is structural economic change?
De-industrialisation, the rise of the service industry
What is cyclical economic change?
Booms and recessions
What drives structural economic change?
Globalisation
What is the primary sector?
Work to do with the extraction of raw materials from the ground or the sea, to be supplied to other industries.
What is the secondary sector?
Involves the manufacturing or assembly of finished goods using the raw materials from primary industry
What is the tertiary sector?
Involves the provision of different services
What is the quaternary sector?
The provision of highly specialist and hi-tech information - universities are important in this sector
What key ideas are associated with global connections and globalisation?
Rise of transnational corporations, increased interconnectedness between nation-states, a global shift has occurred - manufacturing has moved to EDCs and more recently LIDCs, this has resulted in a New International Division of Labour (NIDL), this has led to economic restructuring in many countries
What comes with structural economic change?
Loss of employment in primary sector and secondary sectors in ACs as the comparative advantage of locating in EDCs and LIDCs increase. ACs have transformed into post-industrial societies in which most people work in the tertiary and quaternary sectors. Economic restructuring has lead to mine and factory closures and job losses. Places in ACs that heavily relied on the traditional industries have been badly affected. Deindustrialisation has led to high unemployment, ill-health, and a lasting legacy on the physical environment. However, some places have benefitted massively, with TNCs choosing to invest in growth areas.
What effect does the global shift have?
Negative effects for people in ex-industrial parts of ACs but also negative consequences for those in EDCs and LIDCs where new factories have been set up because the workers may be subject to long hours, poor working conditions and minimal pay all in the drive to produce more for a lower price
Positives and negatives of structural economic change in ACs
Cheaper imports of all relatively labour-intensive products can keep the cost of living down and a booming retail sector. Greater efficiency in surviving secondary outlets. Economic growth in LIDCs may lead to a demand for exports from ACs. Promotion of labour market flexibility and efficiency greater worker mobility to areas with relative scarcities of labour should be good for the country. Greater industrial efficiency should lead to development of new technologies promote entrepreneurship and attract foreign investment. Loss of mining and manufacturing industries can lead to an improved environmental quality.
Rising job exports lead to inevitable job losses, especially in primary and secondary sectors. Job losses are often unskilled workers, and they have a skills mismatch wen finding new service sector work. Big gaps develop between skilled and unskilled workers who may experience extreme redeployment differences. Employment gains from new efficiencies will only occur is industrialised countries can keep their wage demands down. Job losses are invariably concentrated in certain areas and certain industries, this can lead to deindustrialisation and structural unemployment in certain regions. Branch plants are particularly vulnerable as in times of economic recession they are first to close, often with large numbers of job losses.
Positives and negatives of structural economic change in LIDCs and EDCs
Higher export-generated income promotes export-led growth and promotes investment in productive capacity (multiplier effect). Can trickle down to local areas with many new highly paid jobs. Can reduce negative trade balances. Can lead to exposure to new technologies, improvement of skills and labour productivity. Employment growth in relatively labour-intensive manufacturing spreads wealth and does redress global injustice.
Unlikely to decrease inequality as jobs tend to be concentrated in core regions of urban areas and so may promote immigration. Disruptive social impacts. Can lead to overdependence on a narrow economic base. Can destabilise food supplies, as people give up agriculture. Environmental issues associated with over-rapid industrialisation. Health and safety issues because of a lack of legislation to protect workers and operate in a safe manner.
What is the multiplier effect?
The encouragement of growth in sectors through the expansion of new and old industry, which continues.
What is comparative advantage?
A country’s ability to produce a good or service more efficiently and inexpensively than another country
Are economic booms and recessions inevitable?
Yes, everywhere
Is cyclical economic change uniform across a country or region? Why?
No, different types of economic activity occur in different places
Are cyclical and structural economic changes related?
Often since a structural shift in a place’s economic sector may result in either a boom or recession
What measures might be used to indicate a boom or recession?
GDP (main indicator) GDP per capita Income Unemployment rate House prices Industrial output Wholesale/retail output Inflation/deflation
How does the capitalist economic system operate?
In cycles of growth and stagnation
Who supposed that 50-year cycles of growth and decline have occurred since 1750?
Russian economist Kondratieff
What is growth driven by?
Technological innovation
When does a decline occur?
When technology is no longer ‘new’, so fewer opportunities for growth to occur, at this point a recession often takes hold
What is a boom?
A boom is a period of significant output within an economy, marked by productivity increases, sales increases, wage increases and rising demand, a boom may be accompanied by a period of inflation
Where is technological innovation often concentrated?
Core areas, within which the multiplier effect is strong
What is a recession?
Defined as two or more successive quarters in which the economy shrinks, usually unevenly distributed across space (spatially uneven). Even in far-reaching recessions, certain places tend to be hit harder than others.
Who is more able to cope with recessions?
Usually the more skilled you are the more employment opportunities you will have
An example of contrasting effects of recession within a country is Silicone Valley and Detroit in the USA
Silicone Valley: southern part of San Francisco Bay, California. Centred on Santa Clara Valley and San Jose. Home to many of the world’s largest hi-tech corporations and thousands or start-up businesses.
Why has Silicone Valley boomed over the last few decades?
Education: Stanford university has close links with much of the research carried out and offers a regular supply of high quality graduates.
Capital: availability of venture capital, which funds the development of risky innovations. Nearly half of all venture capital in the USA is spent in Silicone Valley and it has the most millionaires and billionaires in relation to the population of the region.
Support services: law firms specialising in patent and copyright law have clustered in Silicone Valley also offering opportunities for those with relevant skills.
Comparative advantage and multiplier effect
