How Do We Understand Place? Key Idea 2.a: People see, experience and understand place in different ways and this can change over time. Learning Objective: To explore how globalisation and time-space compression can influence a sense of place.

Starter: Key Words What do the following key words mean? Globalisation. Time-space compression Global village

Globalisation is …. The sharing and movement of people, money, goods, cultures and information between different countries around the world with few or no barriers It is the increasing interconnection of the world’s economic, cultural and political systems. In terms of ‘sense of place’ it is a set of forces that are changing the ways that people experience and perceive places, both familiar and unfamiliar. As with many changes, different places and people are affected in different ways by globalisation – there are winners and losers.

There are 3 types … Economic Globalisation – world trade has expanded rapidly leading to increased integration and greater movement of people, goods, services, capital and ideas. Cultural Globalisation – western culture has diffuses to all parts of the world through TV, cinema, internet, newspapers etc. Political globalisation - more and more countries now organise themselves into trade blocs and we are seeing the decline of nation states.

Time-space compression refers to a set of processes leading to a “shrinking world” caused by reductions in the relative distance between places as a result of improvements in transport, communications and technology. Space is no longer the barrier it once was to communication and movement of people, goods and ideas. The term “global village” is used to convey the idea that the world has become smaller, not in a physical sense but because of its greater inter-connectedness.

The global village The term “global village” is used to convey the idea that the world has become smaller, not in a physical sense but because of its greater inter-connectedness. Narborough Road in Leicester has 222 shop units with owners from 22 countries . http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk/news/leicester-news/world-one-street-how-narborough-140090

Take Crowborough High Street ….. Heathfield High Street Chinese takeaways/restaurants 3 Indian takeaways/restaurants 4 Turkish kebab shops 2 Turkish Barber 1 Thai restaurant Nail bar ( Vietnamese) What impact do these shops and services that have originated overseas have on different people living in the area?

What impact do these shops and services that have originated overseas have on different people living in the area? In pairs, discuss how the following different groups of people may be impacted by the arrival of these “foreign” shops and services. Positive Negative Long term resident Teenager who has grown up in the area Recently arrived migrant

As with many changes, different places and people are affected in different ways by globalisation – there are winners and losers. The winners experience advantages that are not necessarily equally available to all, but if they manage to manipulate time-space compression to their advantage, then their sense of place probably does fit the idea of the “global village”. The losers however often don’t gain much from the “shrinking world” and feel that they are being controlled and that change is being forced upon them. They often begin to feel dislocated from the places that they live. (see examples on next slide).

Globalisation and time-space compressions also influences our sense of place. These can alter our senses of place, creating feelings of familiarity or a sense of dislocation. As a result of globalisation and time-space compression due to improvements in transport, communications and technology, there are often places that win and others that lose. Some places and people are able to take advantage of a shrinking world whilst others cannot. The loss of mining or manufacturing industries in ACs to places in LIDCs and EDCs has left some places and many thousands of people without economic security. In some LIDCs and EDCs, small scale farmers have been out-competed by TNCs from ACs in the markets for their produce.

HW Task: Make a copy of the table on the next slide. For each person, note the ways in which the individual’s sense of place has been given advantages (opportunities) or disadvantages (challenges) due to time-space compression.

Advantages from time-space compression Disadvantages form time-space compression Currency trader in a bank in New York Unemployed Mexican waiting south of the USA- Mexico border for a chance to cross illegally Elite sportsperson from a LIC Mother from an LIDC or EDC working away from her family in an AC Teenager in an Ac travelling during a gap year Ex-steel worker (52 years old)in AC whose place of work was shut and transferred to an EDC Homeless person in a city in an AC Homeless person in a city in an LIDC

Conlcusion: What effect does time-space compression have on the world? Some might argue that it is time-space compression that has facilitated the process of globalisation. Alternatively, others may argue that without globalisation forces in the first place then the technologies to create time-space compression would not exist. Whichever you agree with there is no doubt that globalisation and time and space being compressed have changed our world and the way we understand places. Time-space compression creates complicated and varied ways in which people see, experience and understand places. Some people feel a sense of dislocation from the places in which they grew up. Some people feel comfortable with the change.