Changing Places
ESSENTIAL OVERVIEW
“Changing Places is a core human geography unit focusing on the concept of place as a construct of human experience, physical characteristics, and external influences.
It examines how locations transition from ‘space’ to ‘place’ through emotional attachment and explores the dynamic nature of locales influenced by endogenous and exogenous factors.
The module requires a comparative analysis of two contrasting places, assessing how they are represented through qualitative and quantitative data and the impacts of globalisation and regeneration on place identity.“
CRUCIAL KEYWORDS
Endogenous Factors
Local, internal characteristics that contribute to the unique identity of a place, including topography, physical geography, land use, and demographic characteristics.
Exogenous Factors
External influences that shape a place’s character, such as the flow of capital, people, ideas, and resources from other locations or global networks.
Pricelessness
The loss of uniqueness of place in the cultural landscape so that one place looks like the next, often attributed to the spread of global brands and ‘clone towns’.
Gentrification
The process of urban renewal and rebuilding accompanying the influx of middle-class or affluent people into deteriorating areas, often displacing lower-income residents.
Sense of Place
The subjective and emotional attachment people have to a place, developed through experience and knowledge of a particular area.
Core Processes & Theories
1) The Tripartite Model of Place
Place is understood as a triad of location (a point in space), locale (the setting for everyday life), and sense of place (the subjective emotional attachment).
2) Insider vs Outsider Perspectives
Place perception is heavily influenced by an individual’s level of integration. Insiders feel welcome and ‘at home’, while outsiders may feel alienated or excluded due to social, cultural, or physical barriers.
3) Social Construction of Place
Places are not merely physical locations but are constructed by social processes and power dynamics. This perspective argues that the meaning of a place is defined by the people who have the power to label it.
CASE STUDY EVIDENCE
- The Stratford regeneration (London 2012) saw a shift from industrial ‘brownfield’ land to a high-density retail and residential hub, with the E20 postcode seeing a 150% increase in average house prices between 2005 and 2015.
- Detroit, Michigan, experienced ‘Deindustrialisation’ as the ‘Big Three’ automakers moved production elsewhere, leading to a population decline from 1.8 million in 1950 to under 700,000 by 2010.
EXAM ESSENTIALS
- Always contrast qualitative data (like poetry, paintings, or photography) with quantitative data (like census statistics or employment figures) to evaluate how a place is represented differently.
- Critically analyse the ‘provenance’ of your sources. Consider who created a representation of a place and why; a tourism brochure will have a different ‘agenda’ than a local news report.