Booklet 1- nature + importance of places

Question 1

what are 3 aspects of a place

Answer 1

location
locale
sense of place

Question 2

what is location?

Answer 2

where a place is on a map (latitude + longitude coordinates)

Question 3

what can you say about a map?

Answer 3

• it is cartographic
  –> has info on location, land-use, built environment etc BUT no info on safety, locales, population, demographic etc

Question 4

what is locale?

Answer 4

the effect people have on the place. each place has a series of locales where everyday life activities take place. e.g. home, park, church etc –> locales dictate our social interactions and help furge vales, attitudes + behaviours- naturally we behave different in each of these places (according to social rules etc)

Question 5

what is sense of place?

Answer 5

subjective + emotional attachment to a place through experience etc

Question 6

examples of sense of place (Baghdad and Twin Towers)

Answer 6

Baghdad- has mosques, homes, personal meaning associated whether you’re a soldier, muslim, tourist etc –> represented to Westerners as a war and danger zone

Twin Towers- symbolise American power, capitalism, destruction etc
-> 9/11= it moved from place of economic power to a symbol of loss/terrorism

Question 7

what is a space vs a place?

Answer 7

space= an area with no meaning

place= can be at range of scales e.g. happy place, imaginary place, street within a city, media place, experienced place, a feature + locale of a place, real place or constructed e.g. Hogwarts etc

Question 8

different types of identity?

Answer 8

• place can be critical to the construction of identity
  Localism
  Regionalism
  Nationalism

Question 9

what is localism?

Answer 9

How people feel about their local area, affection for or emotional relationship of a particular place

e.g. Crickhowell reluctant and protested against a Tesco moving to their town (didn’t want chain shops only local individual ones –> didn’t want dynamic change)

Question 10

what is regionlism?

Answer 10

consciousness of and loyalty to distinct region with a population that shows similarities e.g. person saying they’re ‘Cornish’ identity rather than ‘English’

Question 11

what is nationalism?

Answer 11

loyalty and devotion to a nation which creates a sense of national consciousness. Patrioism= example of sense of place e.g. Scotland desire for independence

Question 12

what other factors contribute to identity?

Answer 12

food, culture, religion, flag, anthems etc

Question 13

what are the theoretical approaches to a place?

Answer 13

Descriptive approaches
Social constructive approach
Phenomenological approach

Question 14

what is the descriptive approach?

Answer 14

idea that the world is a set of places and each place can be studied and is distinct

Question 15

Link Trafalgar square to the descriptive approach.

Answer 15

it has large monument of Lord Nelson in a square and behind it= national gallery

Question 16

what is the social constructive approach?

Answer 16

sees place as product of particular set of social processes occurring at a particular time

Question 17

link Trafalgar square to the social constructive approach

Answer 17

it was built to commemorate a British naval victory in 1800s and using social constructionist approach could be understood as place of empire and colonialism –> now often used for national celebrations e.g. sporting victories

Question 18

what is the phenomenological approach?

Answer 18

interested in how an individual person experiences a place, recognising personal relationship between place and person

Question 19

link Trafalgar square to the phenomenological approach.

Answer 19

British war veterans may go there and feel connected as its a place of victory

Question 20

what did Edward Relph argue?

Answer 20

argues that degree of attachment, involvement + concern is critical in our understanding of place

Question 21

what did Yi-Fu Tuan say?

Answer 21

• says ‘topophilia’- through human perception + experience we get to know places

Question 22

why do places have meaning?

Answer 22

• they are dynamic and change over time
• inputs from cultures, economic + functions change + create unique combos. of landscapes
• cultural traces= anything we can see in built environment that tells us about the culture of people in the place.
• palimpsest= seeing aspects of history, past cultures previous land use in the built environment –> conserves heritage etc
  e.g. Battersea power station chimneys kept in regeneration

Question 23

what is topophilia and tropophobia?

Answer 23

topophilia- love or strong emotional connection to a place
tropophobia- fear or aversion to a place, discomfort by certain environment

• can experience both at same time determined by experience and how you emotionally respond to spatial transformation etc.

Question 24

Doreen Massey and points on place

Answer 24

‘sense of place’
- character of a place can only be seen and understood by linking that place to places —> places are dynamic and subject to constant change, no place= isolated from outside influences e.g. ideas, ppl etc
—> ‘what we need it seems to me is a global sense of the local, a global sense of place’
—> means everywhere needs a variety of cultures, local cultures blend and adapt to global influences (trade, migration, tech etc)

Question 26

belonging- what is it?

Answer 26

to be part of community. 1 of key factors that makes place sustainable and successful. Regeneration schemes focus on having a positive impact for individuals and how they feel about where they live.

Question 27

belonging- what is transition town?

Answer 27

aims to raise awareness of sustainable living and built local ecological resilience —> emphasis on community involvement to create a clearer sense of belonging —> can be influenced by: - who you know in area - religion - family - familiarity with shops - length of time living there - school - school clubs/teams - memories - socio economic status - age, sexuality, gender, race, ethnicity etc

Question 28

examples of localisation

Answer 28

- Bristol= introduced own local currency (Bristol pound) to encourage spending at local businesses BUT not very successful - TNC’s now doing more local partnerships and cultural branding to reflect cultural values, Nike= collaborating with local designers

Question 29

how can a shared sense of place occur?

Answer 29

- from collective experiences, representations in media, cultural identity etc

Question 30

what is a clone town?

Answer 30

areas where high street is dominated by chain stores —> globalisation can cause this —> causes placelessness as places are all similar to other places e.g. fast food, chain hotels, airports —> lack emotional connections

Question 31

example of place against clone towns?

Answer 31

Totnes vs Costa - ‘clone stopping’- want to keep it their home town coffee shops are key social places

Question 32

what is ‘nebulous’?

Answer 32

something unclear, vague e.g. unclear sense of identity after moving somewhere new —> meaning of place not always fixed but can be shaped by different perspectives, experiences, representations —> our attitudes, attachments to a place can become positive or negative etc through lived experiences

Question 33

is globalisation changing places?

Answer 33

yes- uniqueness taken from places etc - internet and flows changes places BUT still have different traditions, histories, local foods and businesses, glocalisation London not hosts Chinese new year etc

Question 34

globalisation- what did James Kunstler say?

Answer 34

‘every place is like no place in particular’ —> urban sprawl, spread of similar businesses, culture etc worldwide —> homogenisation

Question 35

explain the link between well-being and places?

Answer 35

features which are generally accepted to be more important in promoting well being e.g. once feel a sense of belonging you may feel less alone and more welcome = increased well being

Question 36

how is belonging shown in Reigtae?

Answer 36

- local hashtags , media, businesses, preservation of local heritage - people volunteering and fund raising - community pride, local campaigns etc

Question 37

wellbeing- Great places model what does it include?

Answer 37

includes ideas such as sociability, access and linkages, uses and activities, comfort and image —> BUT may need to also include environment, historic and cultural identity etc

Question 38

reigate we’ll-being portrayed?

Answer 38

- affluent, accessible, inclusive, schools, cultural, green space, sociable (cinemas etc)

Question 39

what are the categories of place?

Answer 39

near place far place experienced place media place

Question 40

what is a near place?

Answer 40

those we consider close to us

Question 41

what is a far place?

Answer 41

this we consider distant

Question 42

near and far place what are the several potential meanings?

Answer 42

- refer to geographical distance, describe emotional connection and how comfortable a person feels in a place —> globalisation = ‘fav’ places could feel nearer due to familiarities - some places feel more familiar due to frequent representational exposure e.g. images, ideas, stereotypes

Question 43

what is a experienced place?

Answer 43

a place that a person has spent time in and have direct experience of

Question 44

what is a media place?

Answer 44

place a person has only read about or seen on film etc

Question 45

media place- what is the reality of it?

Answer 45

- some media places reality can be far different how it comes across in media (can be bias etc) —> e.g. UK rural landscape = idyllized by media —> stereotypes as happy, healthy and close-knit community experiencing few of problems of urban life —> Tv Shows books etc have reinforced this BUT reality - UK rural landscapes= huge number of problems (unemployment, lack of services, little house availability and public transport, homelessness, poverty

Question 46

what is character of place?

Answer 46

the specific qualities, features etc of location that make it unique. - physical and human features that help to distinguish it from another place —> could be natural environment (climate etc) or cultural features of landscape

Question 47

character of place- physical site

Answer 47

physical site= actual land it’s built on, places often built more geographical factors favour economic activities (climate, resources etc) —> cultural landscape (everything we see in a place (art, music, infrastructure etc) —> economic functions (services, work etc) changes over time

Question 48

what are exogenous factors ?

Answer 48

factors that are external influences on a places identity and can affect its character

Question 49

examples of exogenous factors?

Answer 49

- flows of money, people, resources, investment —> as they impact cultural characteristic, demographic, socio-economic etc - people (migrants/workers coming to a place to live (work)) - capital (investment from business outside the area) - resources (transport, infrastructure, raw materials) - ideas (architects, artists, businesses etc may bring ideas and shape and change a place)

Question 50

what are endogenous factors?

Answer 50

- factors that are internal to a place and affects its character

Question 51

examples of endogenous factors?

Answer 51

physical - geology, location (urban, rural etc), topography, relief and height of land, climate, height etc human - land use, built environment (types of buildings, density etc), population size and age etc, demographic, infrastructure (roads, railways etc), economic (primary, secondary etc) * local geology can often influence building materials used etc

Question 52

what are insider and outsider perspectives on place?

Answer 52

- place= social construct, means some people can feel ‘out of place’ and others ‘in place’ —> feelings can stem from demographic factors (age, place of birth, residence etc) OR socio-psychological factors (gender, religion, sexuality, ethnicity etc)

Question 53

how can dominant political and economic groups make people feel like an insider or outsider?

Answer 53

they project power onto place through architecture and functions = affects ppl. they create a social norm and those that deviate may feel socially or spatially excluded example: London Docklands- had a change in economic function from docks to financial centre= affluent businesses ppl feel more comfortable than others. Lack of adaptations can exclude ppl with disabilities etc

Question 54

insiders vs outsiders more points

Answer 54

- within one locations some groups feel more welcome than others and experience a place very differently e.g. migrants —> segregation, different socio economic groups, gay communities, whether you understand norms or language etc

Question 55

insider vs outsider- can place feel different at different times of day/year?

Answer 55

- place may be experienced differently at different times of day w.g. safer during day than night, more busy during day etc

Question 56

how can you try and help if you feel like an outsider?

Answer 56

- get involved and experiences can help you feel more of an insider

Question 57

what is positionality?

Answer 57

- refers to factors e.g. gender, age, ethnicity, religion, race, politics, socio economic status etc which influence how we perceive places

Question 58

what did Relph say in 1976?

Answer 58

‘To be insider a place is to belong to it, and identify with it, and the more profoundly inside you are the stronger is the identity with the place’ —> ppl have stronger connection with place they’re familiar with —> ‘not in my backyard’- local opposition —> ppl more likely to oppose development within local community place than those outside (localism)

Question 59

story of Quin, New Zealand ?

Answer 59

- was an outsider after speaking no english and being Beijing born —> only felt like an indirect after an earthquake where ppl all supported each other and shared experience = shared trauma and Quin felt ‘at home’ finally