How do we understand place?
- Created by: BenEllinor
- Created on: 10-05-17 14:45
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How do we understand place?
- Place - something defined by perceptions.
- Space - the space between two places, e.g. the North Atlantic Ocean between New York and London (although those who work in the ocean, e.g. deep-sea fishermen, view it as a workplace; thus, one person's 'space' might be another person's 'place').
The perception of place
Factors influencing perceptions
- Perception is an individual thing.
Age
- People's perceptions change as they get older - for example, a park is for swings for a child, whereas a park is for skating for a teenager.
- Many people move through a life cycle that involves changing their residence and therefore where they might live - young people may move to city centres as they start to live independently from their family; adults may move to suburbs so they can raise their families with more space, a nice garden, etc.; retirees may downsize their accomodation or migrate to smaller centres or quieter surburbs due to a reduced need for accomodation and peace and quiet possibly being regarded as a priority by some people.
Gender
- Traditionally, many places have been defined as being 'male' or 'female'.
- A woman's place is in the home' - Female private place.
- Contrasted with many male public spaces, such as:
- Factories, offices, sporting events' crowds - Male public spaces.
- Such divisions among places reflect the way society sees male and female roles - in the U.K., for example, married women were not employed in the civil service nor by many local government offices until WWII.
- Safety:
- Certain places can be perceived as 'unsafe' and therefore some people avoid these routes, neighbourhoods or places on the basis of their gender.
- Places which are isolated or dark and late night public transport can represent a 'geography of fear' for some people and may restrict their personal geography, especially if on their own.
- Urban geographies of fear are also influenced by…
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