AQA A Level Human Geography notes on Changing Places (A* standard). These notes cover all the topics in the Changing Places module. These topics include:
- The Concept of Place
- The Character of Place
- Changing Places - Shifting Flows
- Meanings & Representation of Place
- Case Studies:...
ASPECTS OF PLACE:
1) Location
Where a place is on a map -> latitude + longitude coordinates
2) Locale
Each place is made up of a series of locales/settings where everyday life activities take
place e.g. church / office / home
These affect social interactions + help forge values, attitudes + behaviours – we behave in
particular ways here according to social rules we understand
3) Sense of place
46The subjective (personal) + emotional attachment to place -> MEANING
Explain the importance of attachment to place in human development:
- The meaning we give to a location can be so strong that it features as a central part our identity
- For some, the location of their upbringing defines who they are and consequently heavily influences who we are
and how we act e.g. ‘I am a Yorkshireman’
- A change in nature of a place through social, economic or environmental development can influence your
attachment to a place.
- For a baby 1st envo = arms of parent, so likely to form an emotional bond with that figure which is important
Insiders and Outsiders
WHAT MAKES YOU AN INSIDER/OUTSIDER:
Language Legal status
Local knowledge Citizenship
Family heritage Mind set
Temporary/permanent resident Sense of acceptance/belonging
SOCIAL AND SPACIAL EXCLUSION:
All places = shaped by people + understood by them in different ways
Dominant groups who have the economic, social and cultural power in a location or within a
society, may make people whose behaviour differs from the ‘normal’ feel out of place
Human geographer interested in groups in society that = excluded spatially + socially,
politically, economically + reasons for this separation
Excluded groups could = ethnic minorities, immigrants, local nationals (born + brought up in
place, but feel separated from it)
Nimbyism – ‘not in my back yard’, people oppose developments in their local area
Insider + outside perspective on place:
An insider’s perspective of place is more intimate, an outsiders perspective is more neutral
The insider is an inhabitant (a dweller) the outsider is an observer
An outsider’s sense of place is more vague + abstract – often more about discovery
o An insider’s sense of place is developed through everyday experiences in familiar
settings – often about experiences
Outsiders have advantage of being able to see things afresh to ask qs that inhabitants don’t
think to ask (answers=obvious)
o Insiders understanding accumulates + is acquired by just living there
Sense of Place
, EXPERIENCED PLACES AND MEDIA PLACES:
How do we acquire a sense of place:
Travel is common today better access + faster transport + more leisure time
Deeper emotional attachment to place you visited rather than heard about
We depend on media representations of places to help make sense of the world today
‘you had to be there’ The role of direction experience:
Experiencing a place stimulates all senses
o These environmental stimuli = rich we aquire deeper understanding of a place +
maybe perceive its true nature
How media representations inform our everyday life:
‘Information age’ bombarded with images + other forms of representation of the world
Representations in media + cartography differs because of purpose + target audience differ
Genius loci: the true spirit of a place?
Town planners aim to evoke a sense of place
Ancient civilisation believed places e.g. Mount Olympus = inhabited + protected by
spirits/Gods
Genius loci = ‘spirit of a place’
o Used in planning to describe the key characteristics of a place with which new
development must concur
BUT the idea that every place has a ‘true nature’ = debatable
o Argument (by Doreen Massey) = Place-meanings are socially constructed
o Most widely held meaning benefit + are reproduced by the most powerful groups in
society
People react to places differently
o Topophilia = strong attachment
o Topophobia = dread
NEAR & FAR PLACES:
Near places = geographically near to where a person lives + far places as distant
People more likely to feel like insiders in near places -> more likely to have experienced
them + feel comfortable in them
Not all feel like insiders in all geographically near places
o Some feel excluded from near places for many reasons e.g. age, sexuality, gender
People more lilely to feel like outsiders in far places -> less likely to have experienced them +
feel comfortable
In more recent decades, globalisation has effected people’s experience of geographical
distance
o Improvements in travel tech mean far places are quicker to get to so can be
experienced more easily + frequently
o ICT improvements mean people can be familiar with media places
o People can stay closely connected with people + activities in far places via internet
Increasingly likely today that people may feel closely connected to + even like insiders, in
places that are geographically far away
Global companies + products mean far places can feel v similar to near places e.g. city
centres all over the world may have the same chain stores, selling the same products
Geographers use term ‘placelessness’ to describe how globalisation is making distant places
look + feel the same
THE CHARACTER OF PLACES
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