Sense of Place in Neighborhoods

• Geography is the study of the Earth, its features, and its inhabitants, especially the interaction between humans and the environment.
• Topic 1: Thinking Geographically
• 1. 2 A sense of place in neighborhoods

Learning Outcomes

• Concept of sense of place.
• How people acquire a sense of place in their neighborhoods.
• Sense of place is represented using different forms and types of media to express people's sense of place.
• Individuals' sense of place could be enhanced or contradicted by these different representations.

Sense of place

• A space or location with meaning attached by someone based on experiences.
• Can be applied at any scale and does not have to be fixed in either time or space.
• Can change over time due to globalization, physical setting, and cultures influenced by new ideas/technologies.

Mental Maps

• Mix of objective knowledge and subjective perceptions.
• Includes precise knowledge of geographic features, impressions of places, rough estimates of size and location, and a general sense of connections between places.
• Students to create their own mental map of the school and surrounding neighborhood, labeling the places clearly.

Acquiring a sense of place in a neighborhood

Repeated encounters with objects and people

• A sense of place is acquired and strengthened through repeated encounters.
• This helps recall features of places, associate meanings and memories.
• Travel via motor vehicles on expressways may only allow us to see bigger objects, this faster travel may make it harder to get an accurate idea of an area.

Significant or memorable events at local landmarks and gathering places

• Significant or memorable events at local landmarks and gathering places can create a sense of place.

• Landmarks are distinguishable buildings/structures, recognized easily and associated with our own experiences - they may serve symbolic or historical purpose.

• The conserved Bukit Timah Railway Station building was built in 1932 and is one of two extant railway stations in Singapore, it has been repurposed as a heritage gallery.

• Everyday interactions at places like shops can result in attachments, creating a sense of belonging.

• Visually unremarkable places (lawns, plazas) can become memorable through community events.

• Jurong Lake Gardens was transformed into a music arena for the NParks Concert Series in the Park: Rockestra®, making it memorable for residents.

• Bite-size Fieldwork Task to capture a journey from home to school or vice versa in journal/video/sketch/sound journal format over a week, including descriptions/narrations of people and objects encountered.

How sense of place is represented

• Represented through various forms and types/media of media, from entertainment to hard news.
• An individual may express their personal sense of place in different forms such as texts, audio, graphics, moving images etc.
• National Day Parade (NDP) videos are an example of collective community memories expressed through film.

How representations of sense of place enhance or contradict an individual's sense of place

• Media portrayed emotions can impact individual sense of place in a positive or negative fashion
• When representations agree with individual thoughts and identity there is a positive affect
• Sense of place can be enhanced with new information about such things as layers of meaning

Explore the concept of 'sense of place' and how individuals develop it within their neighborhoods. Learn how personal experiences shape the meaning attached to specific locations, influencing perceptions through various media representations. Discover how globalization, physical settings, and cultural shifts impact and alter this sense of place.