Lesson 7-Placelessness and Clone Towns Flashcards
What is placelessness?
It occurs when a place lacks anything unique, resulting in a lack of human attatchment to the place
-The place therefore feels like it could be anywhere
-becomes homogenous-reduces reason to visit
-“refers to the casual eradication of distinctive places”- Relph (1976)
Why are airports one of the best examples for placelessness?
-Very uniform as they look and feel very similar
-The functional design is to facilitate people from one place to another so lacks identity (Transient Nature as they arent the destinations themselfs)
-Commercial spaces like McDonalds
How is globalisation linked to placelessness?
-Its the mechanism through which placelessness has occured
-Culture is dominated by endogenous factors but exogenous factors are now dominating
Causes of globalisation causing placelessness?
-Increased communication has resulted in popular companies, trends and ideas spreading
-Increased and more efficient transport has resulted in more migration and brough popular ideas and brands with them
-e.g McDonalds and maybe even Parkgate as it contains international and national brands
-ultimatley has allowed TNC’s to become popular in multiple countries and places
How can placelessness be critisised?
- Independant stores cannot compete
- e.g furniture shops have disappeared as IKEA has become the dominant furniture source in cities.
- Local norms and custopms, such as language, are being reduced
-the Welsh language has seen a large decline in Wales, as the English language has become more dominant in places
-this leads to reduction in tourism and migration as people have less of a reason to move
What is a clone town?
- A term for a town where the High Street or other majour shopping areas are significantly dominated by chain stores, thus making that town indistinct from other town centres
-survey conducted by the NEf in 2005 estimated that 41% of towns in the UK and 48% of london villages could be considered clone towns
Factors that make a place a clone town
1) Rents on the high street are too high for independant stores
2)Chain stores cater for modern consumers who are more materialistic and affluent
3)Chain stores are driving out smaller businesses because they can provide products for a cheaper price
How can ‘clone towns’ be linked to the CUE topic of cultural/heritage quarters?
- They have been set up to combat placelessness
-councils are keen to attract shoppers and tourists to their areas
-a key barrier to this is when high streets are homogenous
Opportunities for clone towns
- Big businesses will be willing to pay higher rents for prime location-therefore tax income increases and an increase in employment
- Raised status of the shopping area, more consumers attracted
- Consumers like the predictability of large MNC’s e.g quality, services and prices
Challenges for clone towns
- Leakage of money from the high street and local area
- Independant retailers cannot compete due to their higher overhead cost and therefore closers with loss of employment
- Could lead to increased vacant buildings and declining environment-loss of tax incomes
How placelessness and clone towns be resisted?
- Increasing localisation of the place
-whereby places are now putting a focus on ‘local place’ and promotion of local goods and services
-The Bristol Pound is the UK’s first city wide local currency
-leads to less money leaking out of Bristols economy
CASE STUDY-Resistance to placelessness
- Tontes, Devon
-The town defeated the attempts of the high-street chain Costa to open a branch
-Local cafe owners were happy due to the reduced amount of competition
-locals suggested it was the”Mcdonalds of the coffe world”
