1a) contrasting place profiles at local scale
As people live, work and play, space changes to place
Characteristics that make up a place identity:
• Physical geography
• Demography
• Socio-economic
• Cultural
• Political
• Built environment
Toxteth, Liverpool
Natural characteristics:
• Undulating land rising from banks of River Mersey
• Stream flows from Northeast diving into two
• Little foreshore as River Mersey is fast flowing past Toxteth as the
channel narrows passing into Liverpool Bay
Past characteristics:
• Recorded in the Domesday survey of 1086
• 13th century - part of large royal hunting forest, fenced off for 300 years
• 16th century began to open up for farming
• 17th century had growing small scale industries
• With industrial revolution Liverpool became a major port, Toxteth became
more urban and industrial with copper works and ceramic factory
• Residential developments grew with housing schemes with large villas.
Attractive greenfield site for middle class to escape declining
environment quality and congestion. Commuters journeyed daily to work
into city centre
• 19th century, areas behind villas used for cheap and poorly built housing,
epidemics frequently erupted in unhygienic areas. Terraced housing spread
to house families employed in the docks
• Exodus of middle class, as disposable income increased and urban
transport improved, they relocated to greenfield sites on edge of built
area
• Over 150 years, Toxteth changed from small rural community to large
metropolitan area, growth linked with increasing connections nationally
and internationally as goods were traded through the docks .
Demographic characteristics
• 88 person per hectare population density compared to Lympstone, 17
person per hectare
• Few elderly residents and children compared to Lympstone, majority aged
16-64
• Large industrial cities always attract migrants. After WW2 employment
and housing opportunities for migrants in inner cities like Toxteth led to
significant changes in place profiles
• Toxteth became a popular destination for migrants from Asia, West Africa
and the Caribbean as Liverpool’s port function created links with many
countries
Cultural characteristics
, • Cultural change seen with major Muslim religious festivals like Eid and
Ramadan
• Many from the Black African Caribbean community have distinctive forms
of Christian worship different from traditional English styles
Socio-economic characteristics
• economic status effects social factors like health
• 54.4% no access to car compared to 12.7% in Lympstone
• 9.4% with bad health compared to 4.1% in Lympstone
• 27.2% aged 16 and over have no formal qualifications compared to 14.1% in
Lympstone
• Owner occupiers is 24 compared to 66.1 in Lympstone
Political characteristics
• Toxteth is part of Riverside Ward, one of 30 wards making up Liverpool
city council. Each ward return three councillors
• Council has powers similar to Lympstone, education, regeneration,
housing and sustainability.
• Local groups can have political influence on place profile, e.g. resident's
associations make voice heard on planning matters and groups protecting
a place’s heritage
Built environment
• Adapted by migrant communities, Mosques and ethnic retailers are visual
indicators of a changing place
• Buildings have changed their use and new ones are built
Shifting resources and ideas
• Containerisation and migration of docks further to the north and mouth
of river led to substantial unemployment
• Consequent poverty was a significant factor contributing to Toxteth riots
in 1981, this was a period of serious civil disturbances and probably
represents the low point in history of changing place
• Since 1980s successive initiatives have been attempted to boost Toxteth.
• 1988, major art gallery opened and 2008 Liverpool was the European capital
of culture, both aimed to boost tertiary employment through cultural
tourism
• UNESCO World Heritage Site having international importance, offering
more employment opportunities
• EU funding via Structural and Investment Funds Strategy has been
attempting to help regenerate Liverpool's profile. The city's low carbon
sector has been expanding with employment created in offshore wind
technology. Europe's largest offshore wind farm is in Liverpool bay
• 2015 survey found main issue was in recruitments as many applicants
lack necessary technical/job specific skills and qualifications
• Due to multiplier effect some residents hope to gain from substantial
inward flow of investment.
• It will take sustained local and regional efforts to bring about socio-
economic change to Toxteth place profile
2a.a) space vs place
,Space - something abstract / no substantial meaning / no value
- location that has no social connections for a human being.
Place - a space with meaning
- location created by human existence
Characteristics creating identity of a place:
• Demographic (e.g. age, gender - make up of population)
• Physical (e.g. altitude)
• Socio-economic (e.g. income)
• Cultural (e.g. religion)
• Political (e.g. local government)
• Built environment (e.g. age and style of buildings - gives idea of past)
Knowledge economy - wealth creating activities that store, analyse and gather
knowledge e.g. high tech manufacturing
2a.b) GRASP
, Perception - organisation, identification and interpretation of sensory
information. Our culture, background and socio-economic level influences how
we perceive our environment.
Gender
• Reflects how men and women move around places
• "woman's place is in a home" - stereotypical view of women widespread
through western societies
• Female's private place contrasts with males' place in public - factories
• Division of genders shows how society see males and females. Females
are more or less excluded from certain places which is how males
dominated/controlled society
• Fear can influence mental maps and decisions about places. Dark/isolated
places can restrict personal geography
Religion
• People give spiritual meanings for natural landscapes
• Stone henge (5000yrs) / Uluru, Australia
• Religions like Judaism, Christianity and Islam give meaning to places
through building synagogues, churches and mosques
• Jerusalem is sacred for all 3 and has become a contested space. Last 1500
years it has been captured 11 times and destroyed and rebuilt 5 times
• Religious places are associated with healing, peace and refuge
Age
• Perception changes as people get older
• Children see parks as a place to play and adults as recreation like
running.
• A place you had positive feelings as a child can change when you revisit it
• Many people go through life cycles (progress of a person through various
stages, based on age and family unit)
• First moving out of family home to cities. Because income is low and less
space is needed and travel costs
• Families in the suburbs and old people in rural areas
Sexuality
• Influences the way in which people use a place
• As acceptance of different sexual orientations becomes more widespread,
some places acquire meaning because they are where LGBT groups
cluster.
• Some cities have it mapped out - gay village in Manchester benefits from
tourism
• People cluster together for security and so they can be themselves
• LGBT neighbourhoods in predominantly heterosexual societies can allow
people to win political power and gain influence over decision making -
like in san Francisco
Role performed
• roles we have at any one time can influence our perceptions of a place
and how we behave
• Acting different in shopping centres with friends and family
• People can gain and lose roles changing attitudes and perceptions
• Roles influences perception of fear, insecurity and anxiety which is
reflected in how boundaries are used to exclude people or activities
