What is the representation of place?
How individuals, or organisations, portray places they know about to others.
How can places be represented differently?
Places can be represented positively or negatively, depending on the person's relationship with the place or what can be gained from the representation (e.g., tourism agencies portray places positively).
Why are meanings and representations of place important?
They can change how people behave towards a place or develop their identity.
What three groups can change how place is represented and why do they do this?
- Government: to attract investment/people
- Corporate bodies: to generate profit
- Community/local groups: to improve local economy/qol
What three strategies can be used to alter perceptions of place?
- Place marketing
- Reimaging
- Rebranding
What is place marketing?
How places are 'sold' to attract investment or people. Marketing companies may be employed to promote a place.
What is an example of place marketing?
The Lake District is marked as the 'adventure capital' of the UK through social media and web advertising.
What is reimaging?
Changing existing negative perceptions of places.
What is an example of reimaging?
Areas of Birmingham experiencing industrial decline in the 1990s were converted into new developments, e.g., Brindleyplace town centre.
What is rebranding?
Giving a place a new identity that is appealing to people and investors. This is achieved through reimaging, place marketing and regeneration schemes. Places may create positive logos and slogans as advertising, e.g. 'People Make Glasgow'.
What is the quantative representation of place?
A method of representing place through numerical and statistical data, such as census data presented in graphs/charts etc.
What is the qualitative representation of place?
A method of representing place through description/creative means that can't be numerically quantified, e.g., art and photography.
What are statistics and how can they be used to represent place?
- A quantitative method of analysing and collecting numerical data (e.g., crime figures).
- They are objective but can be used subjectively.
- Do not usually represent sense of place.
What are maps and how can they be used to represent place?
- A visual representation of any quantitative or qualitative data that has a location.
- This could include anything from population data to indexes of happiness.
- Some historical maps may be misleading.
What are photography, films and art and how can they be used to represent place?
- Visual representations of a place.
- They only show the artist's depiction and data such as photographs can show different representations of place depending on the time of year they were taken etc.
What are stories, articles, music and poetry and how can they be used to represent place?
- Written representations of place that can convey emotional impressions and sense of place.
- They are biased based on the author/publishing organisation's beliefs and experiences of a place.