8 - Meanings and representations Flashcards
(13 cards)
Define meaning.
‘Sense of place’
Places have meanings to the people that know them.
It is how people feel about a place.
It is how they form attachments to a place.
Define representation.
How places are represented to us.
Individuals or organisations (such as businesses or councils) portray places they know about to others e.g. tourist adverts and place marketing.
How do people or organisations represent places in different ways?
If you’re proud of a place, you represent it in a positive way, but if you’ve had a bad experience of a place, it may be more negative.
Tourist-based companies (e.g. Tui) or local councils present places positively to attract investment or tourists. This is likely to be biased/not show the full reality of the place.
What are examples of agencies?
Governments (national and local)
Corporate bodies (marketing business)
Local people/community groups
What are the 3 examples/methods of the ways external agencies influence and represent place meanings?
Place marketing
Reimaging
Rebranding
Give an example of a place that has experienced place marketing.
Llandudno, North Wales - Alice in Wonderland Theme (local council and local entrepreneur)
What is reimaging? Give examples.
Changing an existing negative perception of place.
Amsterdam (Government rebranding company), Milton Keynes (Corporate body, MKDC), London Docklands
What is rebranding? Give an example.
Giving a place a new identity through place marketing, reimaging and regeneration.
Detroit (rebranded waterfront: Renaissance Centre)
What can successful rebranding lead to?
Urban regeneration.
What are the aims of urban rebranding?
Revive a pre-existing but outdated place image.
Change a poor pre-existing place image.
Differentiate an area from other places.
Highlight changes in the character/activities of an area.
Associate a place with an international event e.g. Olympics.
Create pride in a city.
= Promotes the urban area as a product!
AND ultimately attracts new investment, shops, tourists and residents.
How do you make rebranding successful?
- Have a simple concept/a focus.
- Do the same thing over and over again.
- Get politicians involved in place marketing…it is a long term project!!
What are the problems with rebranding?
Different stakeholders may include pre-existing residents, local businesses, potential investors, local governments, potential homeowners or visitors = challenging to satisfy as many of these groups as possible.
Pre-existing residents often want to protect and project their local distinctiveness, while development agencies seek to establish place brands based on government incentives, available technology and an area’s international links e.g. Costa vs Totnes.
Some city regeneration schemes have actually driven out the locals they originally intended to help by rising property prices and rents favouring affluent people e.g. Docklands.
List examples of data sources used to represent places.
Census (every 10 years)
Maps
Counter mapping
Biomapping/emotional cartography
Interviews
Photos
Texts (novels and poems)
Music
TV and film
Art and graffiti
Place and architecture
Digital place
