The Concept of place

Question 1

Defining place

Answer 1

A place can be thought of as merely location.
They can also be defined by location, physical characteristics e.g. topography, human characteristics e.g. who lives there + built environment, flows (people, money, ideas and resources), sense of place - the emotional meaning of a place has to either individuals or groups.

Question 2

Physical characteristics

Answer 2

Constantly changing over a long time scale e.g. rivers migrate, or a short one e.g. volcanoes erupt, altering the landscape.

Question 3

Human characteristics

Answer 3

Constantly changing - people are born, die, and migrate in or out.

Question 4

Flows

Answer 4

Constantly changing - e.g. flows of money can change in a TNC decides to invest in, or close a factory.

Question 5

Sense of place

Answer 5

Constantly changing - e.g. a place you played in as a child will not have the same meaning as when you are an adult.

Question 6

Personal identities in relation to place.

Answer 6

People create their identities based on places they feel connected to. This can be seen at a variety of scales:
Local people will feel connected as they could feel a positive sense of the village they live in.
Regional people share an accent
National people share a language, religion or love for their nation.

Question 7

Insiders

Answer 7

Someone who is familiar with a place. They are “at home” with its topography, daily rhythms and events.

Question 8

Outsider

Answer 8

Someone who does not know a place well, or feels unwelcome or excluded.
They are the parts of the community that are marginalised or experience discrimination.

Question 9

Factors affecting whether a person is an insider or an outsider

Answer 9

Age, sexuality, gender, ethnicity, homelessness etc.

Question 10

Private places

Answer 10

A place that is privately owned and public access may be prevented or limited.
Some may be opened to the public, e.g. shopping centres, however security guards and CCTV uphold certain behavioral rules.

Question 11

Public places

Answer 11

A space that is open and accessible to the public.

They can be symbolic as they are often where national events or demonstrations can be held.

Question 12

Freehold house

Answer 12

A type of tenure in which the owner has outright ownership of the property and the land on which it stands.

Question 13

Near and far places

Answer 13

Near=geographically near, far=distant
People tend to know more about near places as they have more interactions with them.
However developments in ICT are leading to time-space convergence.

Question 14

Placeness

Answer 14

A result of transport improvements and social media.

Globalisation makes places look and feel the same.

Question 15

Experienced place

Answer 15

Places that people have spent time in.
Experience such as things people see and they people they meet shape their sense of place.
Experience turns undifferentiated spaces into a “place”.

Question 16

Topophilia

Answer 16

Love of place

Question 17

Topophobia

Answer 17

Fear of place

Question 18

Media places

Answer 18

Places that people have not been to, but have created a sense of place through their depiction in media.
e.g. New York films - this view may attract people to visit.
A person’s sense of a media place can be very different to lived experiences as the media may aim to present a place in a certain, more appealing way.