The Character of places Flashcards
All places have a unique character which is formed by their many different characteristics - what can these factors be classified as?
Endogenous and Exogenous factors.
What are endogenous factors?
These are the internal factors which shape a places character.
These could be human factors e.g. location, topography and physical geography. They could also be human factors such as the land use, the built environment, infrastructure and demographic and economic characteristics.
What are exogenous factors?
These are external factors which shape a places character, including a places relationship to other places and the flows into and out of a place, eg. the flows of money, people, resources and ideas in and out of a place.
How does location as an endogenous factor influence the character of a place?
Location - Location refers to where a place is geographically and what is around it eg coast, inner city, rural.
- Places can be characterised by the features that are present because of their location e.g. a coastal place may be characterised as a port due to it’s close proximity to the sea. Conversely an inland place could be a local centre of trade if it was located at a confluence of road routes as it is easy to acess from many places.
Topography
Topography refers to the shape of the landscape - places can be characterised by this e.g. in a mountainous area, a place would be known for being steep and possibly difficult to access.
It also affects other factors that give places their character eg. land use - flat places may be suitable for large scale arable farming, whilst mountains may be better for pastoral farming - this can often affect how places are perceived.
Physical geography.
This is the environmental features of a place e.g. altitude, aspect, soil and rock type.
Places can be characterised directly by their physical geography - rock types form different landscapes.
Also affects other factors that give places their character. Economic characteristics - a place that is rich in natural resources such as iron or coal may be characterised by the industries that exist there such as mining or smelting. May also affect the types of rocks people build their houses with in the area.
Endogenous factors can also include the human characteristics of a place, what does this entail?
Land use, built environment and infrastructure and demographic and economic characteristics.
How does land use impact the character of place as an endogenous factor?
Land use refers to the human activities occurring on land and can directly define character of place e.g. rural places used for farming and urban with commercial buildings as many busisnesses require taller, higher density buildings, whereas residential suburban areas have lower require lower density buildings.
- Land use changes over time. For example deindustrialisation can change what a places land is used for which can reform it’s character.
How does the built environment and infrastructure impact character of place?
The built environment refers to aspects of places built by humans such as infrastructure, structures built for transport, communications and services.
- Places can be characterised directly by their built environment, eg more road connections in city centres and high density buildings. May also have cathedrals or sports stadia.
Whereas villages may have opposite features with buildings suited to lower densities. As well as features like market squares and village halls as opposed ton shops.
How do demographic and economic characteristics affect character of place?
Demographic fators can contribute to the character of places as some places will have communities based on common demographic features which will often be characterised in a place - old people in seaside’s - less noise.
- Economic characteristics are to do with generally incomes and employment.
- They can massively contribute to character of place as places with higher incomes will tend to contain more valuable commodities and buildings/ shops correlating with the incomes of the people local to the area. Processes like gentrification can change the economic features and characteristics of a place.
How can exogenous factors impact character of place?
Exogenous factors are about how places are related to one another, and how these relationships can affect character. These factors are generally new flows of people, resources, money and ideas.
How can character of place be influenced by relative location to other places?
The character of a place can be influenced by its relative location to other places in a number of ways. E.g. Cultural Influence: The culture of neighboring places can have a significant impact on the character of a place. For instance, if a city is located near a large university, it may be influenced by the academic culture, and have a vibrant intellectual community. Or villages and towns outside major cities can be characterised as commuter settlements.
How can tourism influence character of place (exogenous).
Tourism can massively affect the characters of many places, for example places like Ibiza and Ios in Greece are beautiful islands, yet are known for being ‘party islands’ full of tourists going to party. Their economic characteristics and land use could be influenced by this too as many places could turn into hotels, villas and bars.
How can flows of investment influence character of place in regards to exogenous factors?
Investment can influence the character of a place in various ways, including through economic development, infrastructure improvements, demographic shifts, and environmental impact. Investment can bring new jobs and opportunities, improve infrastructure, attract new residents and businesses, and shift the cultural, social, and political makeup of a place. These changes can alter the character of a place over time. E.g. Nissans factory in Sunderland created 6000+ jobs, and changed the land and building use in the area.
