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Changing Spaces Making Places - Detailed notes [including case studies]
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Changing Spaces Making Places - Detailed notes [including case studies] for OCR A-Level Geography
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CHANGING SPACES MAKING PLACES [NOT INCLUDING CASESTUDIES]
2.a. People see, experience & understand places in different ways which can also
change over time.
★ PLACE = a place is a portion of geographical space whose identity is viewed as
being distinctive in some way. It’s an area that humans give meaning to. E.g
Greenland is a place as it has been given meaning to as it’s a residential area and
also has a political meaning (political place) as the Danes have a claim to resources
in the Arctic due to it. It’s also a scientific place as the scientists study climate change
by studying the glaciers. Places can have multiple meanings. A place can have
objective meaning: something that just is, such as an address, or a set of map
coordinates. But it can also have a subjective meaning: some aspect of a place that
humans have added for whatever reason. E.g 10 Downing Street is a fixed location
that can be plotted exactly on a map. However, it's also the official residence of the
Prime Minister of the UK. Thus it also has a political meaning internationally as heads
of governments from overseas visit the PM there
★ SPACE = space exists between places & doesn’t have the meanings that places do.
One person’s space might be another person’s place. E.g we may view the North
Atlantic Ocean as an enormous space to cross in order to travel from one place to
another. However, it is a workplace to deep-sea fishermen who therefore may view it
as a place rather than space. It is where cargo ships sail and the crews of these
ships have an understanding of the currents, winds & wave patterns which they
routinely encounter. The natives of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization [NATO] &
Russia see the North Atlantic as full of meaning as they patrol its waters keeping an
eye on each other. For these people, the North Atlantic is a place
Characteristics that interact to make the identity of a place at a local scale include:
● Physical geography e.g altitude, slope angle, aspect, drainage, geology
● Demography e.g number of inhabitants, their ages, gender & ethnicity, no of people
● Socio-economic e.g employment, income & family status, education
● Cultural e.g religion, local traditions, clubs e.g Cheese Rolling in Gloucestershire
● Political e.g local, regional & national government, local interest groups such as
resident associations
● Built environment e.g age & style of buildings- building materials, density of housing
What makes up a place?
- LOCATION: where it is physically, coordinates on a map
- LOCALE: physical setting in which social interactions occur (i.e the way a place
looks) - mosques, homes, markets, Church
- SENSE OF PLACE: the feelings & emotions a place evokes. Subjective & differs
between individuals
What factors influence the way that space becomes a place?
Spatial mediation is the way in which space changes to create places. Places are created
from spaces in order to rebrand, economic regeneration, meet demands for housing, urban
renewal & revivals, social inclusion. Place players include planners, consumers &
,gatekeepers. Gatekeepers are people or policies that act as a go-between, controlling
access from one point to another. They may refuse, control or delay access to services.
They may also be used to oversee how work is being done & whether it meets certain
standards. Consumers are people that use the product [in this case the place]. A space
becomes a place due to numerous factors e.g physical geography. Geography doesn’t just
determine whether humans can live in a certain area, it also determines people’s lifestyles,
as they adapt to the available food & climate patterns. E.g an urban area is likely to be built
on a flat surface rather than high altitude as infrastructure is easy to be built on flat land.
Culture & religion also influences the way that space becomes a place.Therefore, one
person’s space is another person’s place as different people will have different emotional
attachment & memories to a ‘place’ which another person might view as just ‘space.’
Furthermore, [Humanistic] Human (agency) behaviour & decisions also change spaces &
create places. E.g decisions to move home, life cycle stage, changing economic
circumstances. If a family leaves their house & moves into another area that area which was
previously a ‘space’ to them would now become a place to them as it is an area where they
live. There could be political factors that also influence the way that space becomes a place.
E.g local council may decide to use a space available in an area to build a residential area
which would mean that the space would turn into a place as it would contain the homes of
many residents [also be influenced by demography as local council would build more
housing in order to meet demands of rising population in a place]. Economy plays a role as it
depends on the amount of fundings local council has in order to make a place from the
space available.
Factors influencing perceptions of a place
Age
● People’s perception change as they get older
● E.g local park = 5 year old might see the park as a place to have fun by playing on
the swing & riding a bike - place of excitement. A few years later the park may be
used for different recreational activities such as tennis & skateboarding. Parents =
useful to take kids to have fun. Teenager = hang out with friends not an area that
they really like. Old = dislike because they prefer peace and quiet
● Life cycle = the progress of a person through various stages based on age & family
unit, from infancy to old age. As you go through a life cycle your role changes -
student, mother, grandmother
● Many people move through a life cycle that involves changing their residence &
where they live. Such moves are often associated with changes to income or family
size. When a young person leaves home to set up their first independent household
they usually have a limited income & don’t need much living space so they often live
in a rented accommodation close to a city centre. This allows easy access to
employment & services such as shops, pubs & clubs
● A couple with children may buy a larger house with more space & a garden in the
suburbs [low density] [less pollution]
● In retirement the need for accommodation is reduced & people may regard peace &
quiet as a priority - migrate to quieter suburbs [smaller space]
Gender
, ● Traditionally, many places haven been defined as being ‘male’ or ‘female.’
● The phrase ‘A woman’s place is in the home’ represents a stereotypical image of
women that was widespread until the later 20th century in many Western societies.
The female private place of the home contrasted with male public spaces such as
factories, offices & many places of recreation
● Past pics of sporting events show a male crowd - football stadium could be
perceived to be a male dominant place so women might view football stadiums as a
not very welcoming & safe place to be = male orientated place. This can be seen in
the low attendance of female football fans in stadiums as in the 2014/15 season
female attendance at Premier League matches was just 26% (which is one of the
highest female attendance at a football game in the premier league recorded)
● Such divisions among places reflect the way society sees male & female roles.
Females were excluded from certain spaces which shows that males dominated &
controlled society. It wasn't long ago that if a woman married, she often had to resign
from her job. She was expected to stay at home, run the household & bring up
children. In the UK married women weren’t employed in the civil service nor by many
local government offices until the Second World War
● Safety [significant factor in giving a meaning to a place] = for many people fear can
affect their mental maps & therefore the decisions they make about where, when &
how they go to certain places. Certain places can be perceived as ‘unsafe’ &
therefore people avoid these places on the basis of their gender. Locations that a
person would go to during the day might be avoided at other times. Places which are
isolated or dark & late night public transport can represent a ‘geography of fear’ for
some people & may restrict their personal geography, especially if on their own.
Urban geographies of fear are also influenced by a person’s age & sexuality. Women
= high risk place such as a dark alley way - public spaces = associated with sexual
violence/assualt won’t be the same for men
Sexuality
● As the acceptance of sexual orientations becomes more widespread, some places
acquire a meaning because they are where lesbian, gay, bisexual & transgender
groups [LGBT] tend to cluster
● In some cities, LGBT ‘zones’ have been identified & mapped. These areas centre on
concentrations of restaurants, bars & clubs which are ‘gay friendly’ such as the
Castro District in San Francisco [local gay politicians elected] & the ‘Gay Village’ in
Manchester. Brighton has acquired an image as the LGBT capital of the UK. The
LGBT community is a large one & Brighton has developed into a cosmopolitan place,
accepting a wide diversity of people
● Brighton = pride festival - welcoming & safe place for LGBT people - they can be
accepted ‘geography of acceptance’ = draws in people
● Some researchers have seen similarities between the emergence of these places &
the emergence of ghettos [ghetto = concentration of people with similar socio-
economic, cultural or ethnic background within a well-defined small part of an urban
area]. People cluster together for a sense of security & a place where they can be
themselves
● LGBT neighbourhoods in a predominantly heterosexual society allow people to
express themselves & in the case of San Francisco, to win political power & thus gain
, influence over decision making. The election of LGBT councillor is seen as important
in creating a strong sense of place for San Francisco’s LGBT community
● Economic opportunity - draws in business + LGBT tourists
● There’s an economic aspect to the emergence of places defined on the basis of
sexuality. The ‘pink’ pound, euro or dollar is important in some locations in helping
rebranding & regeneration. Manchester, Brighton, San Francisco benefit from LGBT
tourism as people seek out the places to visit where they can relax & have a sense of
security in being openly themselves & enjoy personal geographies not restricted by
fears & anxieties
Religion
● People have given locations spiritual meanings. E.g Lourdes
● Religions such as Judaism, Christianity, Islam have given meaning to many places
through the building of synagogues, churches, mosques. There’s one particular
location which represents the religious significance of the 3 religions: Jerusalem.
Jerusalem [Jerusalem has become a ‘contested space’ - more important to a religious group
than some other - site of the crusades - shows when different people perceive a place
different it has a contested element to it]
- Christianity = site of Jesus’ crucifixion & resurrection. It represents Christianity’s most
holy site
- Judaism = The First Temple was built on the Temple Mount by Solomon and
contained the stone tablets given to Moses by God on which the 10 commandments
were written. Jerusalem came to represent Judaism’s most sacred site
- Islam = Islam’s 3rd most sacred shrine; the Dome of the Rock is located in
Jerusalem
● Many religious places are associated with peace & healing. People go to practise
their religion at various shrines & buildings
● One of the most famous places associated with healing is Lourdes, South France. 6
million pilgrims, mostly Roman Catholics, visit Lourdes each year
Ethnicity
● Minority ethnicities tend to cluster together for safety [similarities = language, culture,
religion]
● Ghetto - Perceive the place as safe. E.g ChinaTown, London
● Away from community, when they feel like the minority, they may perceive that place
as unsafe - geographies of fear
Role
● Each of us performs a variety of roles at different times. The role we have at any one
time can influence our perception of a location & how we behave
● E.g a teenager is likely to act in a different way in a local shopping centre with their
friends compared to when they’re with their parents
● As we go through life we gain & lose roles and as we change, so do our attitudes &
our perceptions of places. E.g an independent 20 year old is likely to view locations
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