Changing Spaces Making Places: Sense Of Space

Question 1

What is the formal way of representing a space?

Answer 1

Census data - population numbers, qualifications, health, employment etc, which helps the government to plan ahead, and to allocate time and money to keep developing a positive sense of space.

Question 2

What is the downside of using census data to represent a place?

Answer 2

Numerical data can only display an objective representation of a place, but does not account for people’s individual perceptions.

Question 3

What is the informal way of representing a space?

Answer 3

TV and film - for example, New York in Home Alone 2, Albuquerque in Breaking Bad, or Detroit in 8 Mile show a representation of a place through colour, music, camera angles, story and acting. This gives the viewer a less objective perception of place, due to way places can be misconstrued or made to appear better than they really are.

Question 4

How can the representation of rural spaces differ?

Answer 4

A place being considered rural may differ between the census data and the people of a place itself. For example a village may have local village shops and be surrounded by farmland, but most of the residents commute to a city for work. Rural places can also seem more traditional and close-knit, but this isn’t always true.