3.2.2 Changing places
3.2.2.1 The nature and importance of places
The concept of place
Three aspects of place:
Location – actual place, the county its in etc
Locale- what the place has e.g. its attractions, what its famous for
Sense of place – subjective and emotional attachment
Theoretical approaches to place:
Descriptive approach – the world is a set of places and each place is distinct and can be
studied
Social constructionist approach – a place is a product of a particular set of social processes
Phenomenological approach – how an individual experiences place
The importance of place in human life and experience.
Placemaking – the deliberate shaping of an environment to facilitate social interaction and
improve a community’s quality of life
Identity: localism, regionalism and nationalism
Localism – affection for or emotional ownership of a particular place, can be seen in
nimbyism.
Regionalism- consciousness of and loyalty to a distinct region
Nationalism – loyalty and devotion to a nation
A global sense of place
Doreen Massey wrote about global sense of place questioning the idea that place is static.
Globalisation of a place – global capitalism has eroded local cultures and produced identical
or homogenised places.
Glocalization – multinational companies adapting to local marketplaces e.g. rice in KFC in
Asia
Localisation – promoting local place e.g. South Devon has introduced a local currency to
encourage people to shop locally and keep money in the economy
Belonging and well being – how you feel in your place etc
Insider and outside perspective
Positionality – refers to factors such as gender, race and ethnicity which influence how we
perceive different places
What makes a place great – sociability, access and linkage, comfort and image, uses and
activities
, Categories of place
Near place and far place
Near and far can mean geographically or emotionally
In the modern day just because a place is ‘near’ doesn’t mean it fosters familiarity with a
world of travel and culture
A geographically far place might hold more value to you than a near place
Experienced place and media place
Experienced place – a place a person has spent time in
Media place – a place a person has only read about or seen on films however the reality o f
a place can be different. E.g. UK countryside has been idyllized with its tight knit
communities and lack of urban related problems however this is untrue with UK countryside
suffering a number of issues
Factors contributing to character of places
Endogenous – factors that originate internally e.g. typography, geology, resources,
demographic and economic characteristics
Exogenous – originate from external causes or origin e.g. links to or influences of other
places, shifting flows of people, resources, money and investment
Agents of change – people who impact a place by living, working or improving
3.2.2.2 Changing places – relationships, connections, meaning and representation
Relationships and connections
Impact of relationships and connections on people and place with a particular focus on
changing demographics and cultural characteristics
3.2.2.1 The nature and importance of places
The concept of place
Three aspects of place:
Location – actual place, the county its in etc
Locale- what the place has e.g. its attractions, what its famous for
Sense of place – subjective and emotional attachment
Theoretical approaches to place:
Descriptive approach – the world is a set of places and each place is distinct and can be
studied
Social constructionist approach – a place is a product of a particular set of social processes
Phenomenological approach – how an individual experiences place
The importance of place in human life and experience.
Placemaking – the deliberate shaping of an environment to facilitate social interaction and
improve a community’s quality of life
Identity: localism, regionalism and nationalism
Localism – affection for or emotional ownership of a particular place, can be seen in
nimbyism.
Regionalism- consciousness of and loyalty to a distinct region
Nationalism – loyalty and devotion to a nation
A global sense of place
Doreen Massey wrote about global sense of place questioning the idea that place is static.
Globalisation of a place – global capitalism has eroded local cultures and produced identical
or homogenised places.
Glocalization – multinational companies adapting to local marketplaces e.g. rice in KFC in
Asia
Localisation – promoting local place e.g. South Devon has introduced a local currency to
encourage people to shop locally and keep money in the economy
Belonging and well being – how you feel in your place etc
Insider and outside perspective
Positionality – refers to factors such as gender, race and ethnicity which influence how we
perceive different places
What makes a place great – sociability, access and linkage, comfort and image, uses and
activities
, Categories of place
Near place and far place
Near and far can mean geographically or emotionally
In the modern day just because a place is ‘near’ doesn’t mean it fosters familiarity with a
world of travel and culture
A geographically far place might hold more value to you than a near place
Experienced place and media place
Experienced place – a place a person has spent time in
Media place – a place a person has only read about or seen on films however the reality o f
a place can be different. E.g. UK countryside has been idyllized with its tight knit
communities and lack of urban related problems however this is untrue with UK countryside
suffering a number of issues
Factors contributing to character of places
Endogenous – factors that originate internally e.g. typography, geology, resources,
demographic and economic characteristics
Exogenous – originate from external causes or origin e.g. links to or influences of other
places, shifting flows of people, resources, money and investment
Agents of change – people who impact a place by living, working or improving
3.2.2.2 Changing places – relationships, connections, meaning and representation
Relationships and connections
Impact of relationships and connections on people and place with a particular focus on
changing demographics and cultural characteristics
