Places or Place ?

Cromer: a place, but also a place... Image by Alan Parkinson

Just been reading an excellent article from the Autumn 2008 issue of the Geographical Association's journal "GEOGRAPHY"

It is by Tim Cresswell from the Geography Department at Royal Holloway, University of London, and explores ideas of PLACE: a key geographical concept, and that of 'places', which are a focus for many geography lessons.
Many geography students will use the word place to talk about physical locations e.g. Cromer.
What will be less likely is that they refer to the concept of place: what is it that defines a particular location for individuals who encounter it ? What is it that makes it distinctive ?

Defining place is, as Cresswell says, a contested issue.
A useful one is provided: "a meaningful segment of geographical space".

The article is well worth reading...

The Guardian currently has a series of short essays on places, which sort of cross the border into psycho-geography: Barton's Britain. Recommended.

Have also blogged earlier about the Recession Road series.

I will return to this theme in March 2010 for my GA Norfolk branch lecture on Norfolk...

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