Changing Spaces, Making Places Notes
How do we Understand a Place?
A place can either have an objective meaning, such as an address or co-ordinates.
However, it can also have a subjective meaning and can be a place which has meaning to
you
A space exists between places and do not have the same meaning as places
However, some people's spaces may exist as places in other people's perspectives
FACTORS INFLUENCING PERCEPTIONS
1) Age
-May change as someone gets older
-Many people move through a life cycle that involves changing residence and where
they live
-E.g. People with limited income tend to live in areas with easy access, then move out
as incomes get larger, only for elderly people to live
2) Gender
-In different societies the roles men and women have been reflected in the way two
groups can move around and the types of places they can use
-Traditionally, places have been labelled as male or female, with a clear gender
division
-Question of safety is a significant one in giving meaning to places
-Urban geography of fear based on gender
3) Sexuality
-Can influence ways people use places
-Some places are gay friendly, such as Brighton, LGBT capital of UK
-Emergence of Ghettos- people cluster in areas for sense of security
-'Pink Pound' essential for some local economies
4) Religion
-People have given places spiritual meaning for millennia, e.g. Uluru for Aborigines
-E.g Jerusalem, focus of religious meaning for 3 religions
-Many religious places associated with refuge, peace and healing
5) Role
-Each of us perform a variety of roles by time
-Perspective of places change as we change roles
-Our roles change over time
THE INFLUENCE OF EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT TO A PLACE
,-If we have strong personal experiences of a place we are likely to have strong emotional
attachments to that place and vice versa
-Memory and feelings are also social and we tend to receive them in a group
-People often have a similar, deeper attachment to nations, particularly when people are
exiled from their homeland
E.g KURDISTAN
-Estimated to number about 28 to 30 million in heartland with 2-3 million in
diaspora networks
-Emotionally attached to region
-Long wanted their own independent state
-Suffered persecution and been involved in armed conflict, especially with
Turkish police and military
HOW CAN GLOBALISATION AND TIME-SPACE COMPRESSION INFLUENCE OUR SENSE
OF PLACE?
Globalisation- increasing interconnectedness and independence of the world,
economically, socially, politically and culturally
Due to greater interconnectedness, faster communication and quicker flow of goods,
space is no longer the barrier it once was- TIME SPACE COMPRESSION
Hence, our perceptions of places change
-For some, TSC easily accommodates them
-However, some find changes disturbing- no longer feel at home- sense of dislocation
People who are able to manipulate TSC to their advantage benefit from it the most
REPRESENTATIONS OF A PLACE
1) INFORMAL- includes a great diversity of media, such as television, film, music, art,
photography, literature, graffiti and
blogs
-E.g. Soaps represent livelihood of locals, eg. Eastenders of living in urban
area
-Lord of the Rings helped promote NZ natural beauty, boosted its tourist
industry
2) FORMAL- based on vast quantities of data, which have been collected and stored, e.g.
census, geospatial data
-Census- become increasingly more sophisticated and detailed since first
census in 1801
-Essential element for government planning and allocation of resources
, How Does Economic Change influence patterns of Social Inequality in Places
SOCIAL INEQUALITY
The existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or
statuses in a society
• Because social differences vary from place to place, geographers can make significant
contributions to debates about spatial inequality
Quality of Life- the extent to which people's needs and desires are met
Standard of Living- the ability to access services and goods, including basic goods
Measuring Social Inequality:
1) Income- Absolute poverty is measured as less than US$1.25/day PP
-Gini Coefficient is a good measure of income inequality- ranging from 0 to 1
2) Housing- Closely related to income
- Housing tenure is an important indicator of social inequality- ie buying vs
renting
-> more complex in LIDCs, particularly in slums
3) Education- Formal education is a measure but the acquisition of skills can be
underestimated if only formal qualification are measured
-Contrasts in literacy level give an indication of inequality in education
4) Healthcare- The association between poverty and ill health very strong
-Measure of doctors per 1000 often used to describe health inequality
-Access to healthcare also important
-But health is not just about medical provisions but also about access to
clean water, effective sanitation, quantity
and quality of diet, type of housing and air quality
5) Employment-Unemployment not always easy to assess
-Someone may be in employment but earning a low wage, particularly
in the informal sector
INDEX OF MULTIPLE DEPRIVATION- UK government qualitative study of deprived areas in
English local councils, covering Income, Employment, Health Deprivation and Disability,
Education Skills and Training, Barriers to Housing and Services, Crime, Living Environment
In general, an individual's life chances are closely related to where they live
How do we Understand a Place?
A place can either have an objective meaning, such as an address or co-ordinates.
However, it can also have a subjective meaning and can be a place which has meaning to
you
A space exists between places and do not have the same meaning as places
However, some people's spaces may exist as places in other people's perspectives
FACTORS INFLUENCING PERCEPTIONS
1) Age
-May change as someone gets older
-Many people move through a life cycle that involves changing residence and where
they live
-E.g. People with limited income tend to live in areas with easy access, then move out
as incomes get larger, only for elderly people to live
2) Gender
-In different societies the roles men and women have been reflected in the way two
groups can move around and the types of places they can use
-Traditionally, places have been labelled as male or female, with a clear gender
division
-Question of safety is a significant one in giving meaning to places
-Urban geography of fear based on gender
3) Sexuality
-Can influence ways people use places
-Some places are gay friendly, such as Brighton, LGBT capital of UK
-Emergence of Ghettos- people cluster in areas for sense of security
-'Pink Pound' essential for some local economies
4) Religion
-People have given places spiritual meaning for millennia, e.g. Uluru for Aborigines
-E.g Jerusalem, focus of religious meaning for 3 religions
-Many religious places associated with refuge, peace and healing
5) Role
-Each of us perform a variety of roles by time
-Perspective of places change as we change roles
-Our roles change over time
THE INFLUENCE OF EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENT TO A PLACE
,-If we have strong personal experiences of a place we are likely to have strong emotional
attachments to that place and vice versa
-Memory and feelings are also social and we tend to receive them in a group
-People often have a similar, deeper attachment to nations, particularly when people are
exiled from their homeland
E.g KURDISTAN
-Estimated to number about 28 to 30 million in heartland with 2-3 million in
diaspora networks
-Emotionally attached to region
-Long wanted their own independent state
-Suffered persecution and been involved in armed conflict, especially with
Turkish police and military
HOW CAN GLOBALISATION AND TIME-SPACE COMPRESSION INFLUENCE OUR SENSE
OF PLACE?
Globalisation- increasing interconnectedness and independence of the world,
economically, socially, politically and culturally
Due to greater interconnectedness, faster communication and quicker flow of goods,
space is no longer the barrier it once was- TIME SPACE COMPRESSION
Hence, our perceptions of places change
-For some, TSC easily accommodates them
-However, some find changes disturbing- no longer feel at home- sense of dislocation
People who are able to manipulate TSC to their advantage benefit from it the most
REPRESENTATIONS OF A PLACE
1) INFORMAL- includes a great diversity of media, such as television, film, music, art,
photography, literature, graffiti and
blogs
-E.g. Soaps represent livelihood of locals, eg. Eastenders of living in urban
area
-Lord of the Rings helped promote NZ natural beauty, boosted its tourist
industry
2) FORMAL- based on vast quantities of data, which have been collected and stored, e.g.
census, geospatial data
-Census- become increasingly more sophisticated and detailed since first
census in 1801
-Essential element for government planning and allocation of resources
, How Does Economic Change influence patterns of Social Inequality in Places
SOCIAL INEQUALITY
The existence of unequal opportunities and rewards for different social positions or
statuses in a society
• Because social differences vary from place to place, geographers can make significant
contributions to debates about spatial inequality
Quality of Life- the extent to which people's needs and desires are met
Standard of Living- the ability to access services and goods, including basic goods
Measuring Social Inequality:
1) Income- Absolute poverty is measured as less than US$1.25/day PP
-Gini Coefficient is a good measure of income inequality- ranging from 0 to 1
2) Housing- Closely related to income
- Housing tenure is an important indicator of social inequality- ie buying vs
renting
-> more complex in LIDCs, particularly in slums
3) Education- Formal education is a measure but the acquisition of skills can be
underestimated if only formal qualification are measured
-Contrasts in literacy level give an indication of inequality in education
4) Healthcare- The association between poverty and ill health very strong
-Measure of doctors per 1000 often used to describe health inequality
-Access to healthcare also important
-But health is not just about medical provisions but also about access to
clean water, effective sanitation, quantity
and quality of diet, type of housing and air quality
5) Employment-Unemployment not always easy to assess
-Someone may be in employment but earning a low wage, particularly
in the informal sector
INDEX OF MULTIPLE DEPRIVATION- UK government qualitative study of deprived areas in
English local councils, covering Income, Employment, Health Deprivation and Disability,
Education Skills and Training, Barriers to Housing and Services, Crime, Living Environment
In general, an individual's life chances are closely related to where they live
