GEO 210 Lecture 10: Sense of Place, Danger, and Crime (PDF)

Week 10: Sense of Place, Danger, Crime November 28, 2024 Highlighted portions were reiterated in class Location A particular place Spatial coordinates formal description (name, street address, community name) Subjective description (zone of the...

Week 10: Sense of Place, Danger, Crime November 28, 2024 Highlighted portions were reiterated in class Location A particular place Spatial coordinates formal description (name, street address, community name) Subjective description (zone of the city) Relative to adjacent location/features Know the Difference between Space vs Place Space Abstract with no meaning unless its talked about to bring meaning/experience with a space Two thinkers who have contributed to defining space and place: Yi-Fu Tuan and Edward Relph The Difference is Meaning Described in the extent to which human beings have given meaning to a specific area Meaning can be given/derived from an area through a direct and intimate way through sense ot in an indirect and conceptual way through symbols, arts, landscape features, social context Yi-Fu Tan Space- location with no social connections for human being while a place is more than location and be described as a location created by human experiences In fact ‘place’ is a ‘space’ that is filled with meanings and objectives by human experiences in this particular space Sense of Place Sense of place- changing a typically space to place with a social behaviour and sensory characteristics for certain people Merges geography and psychology Linked to one’s perception, identity, social attachments, experiences in that place and elsewhere Given meaning through individual experiences and shared experiences Creating Place We all brand places by choosing what to believe about them and what to tell others, which can be persuasive True or False Questions Topophilia and Topophobia Places can affect people, their emotions and behaviours Positive effects are called- topophilia Negative effects are called topophobia The Nature of Place Places are collaborations between you and the attributes of place whether good or bad Place Attributes Real attributes (you)- place generated based on an experience Perceived attributes- based on a belief that a particular type of place would be good or bad Contrived attributes- when beliefs are manipulated (ex: realtors with marketing) Real, Perceived and Contrived attributes are premised on experiences or expectations Experiences and Expectations Experiences: personal record of attributes that give positive/negative feelings on a place Expectations: may be based on personal experience or others’ experience on a place Territoriality The attempt by an individual/group to affect, influence or control people, phenomena (resources) and relationship by delimiting and asserting control over a geographic area Home: Your Territory Familiarity Comfort Identity Security The Castle Doctrine Castle Doctrine (castle law) principle in law that governs what people fo in the face of imminent threat to their home and is extended in some jurisdictions to their person The overriding principle is, however, called the duty-to-retreat principle, which demands that a person under threat must retreat if possible and not try to defend themselves or their property Legal Enforcement of territoriality Property rights: Right to own property is not included in Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom Personal property laws are governed by provincial legislation Three basic rights: exclusivity, transferability and enforcement Deed and Land Title: Title: land rights held by a person/corporation Deed: legal documents that transfers title from one person to another Territorial Analysis: Gnags, Graffiti, and Territory Many are gangs are associated with defined places and territories but are increasingly they are becoming far less place-based "It's a group of people banding together.... It's opportunists without any opportunities Gang Tagging Gang members use graffiti to: Mark their territory or turf Declare their allegiance to the gang Advertise a gang's status or power To challenge rivals Used to communicate messages between gangs using codes with common meaning Toronto Gangs/ Opportunist Without Opportunities The vast majority of gang activity is connected with smaller (8-15 members) disorganised groups who happen to be well armed (Violence level was higher) Religion, Territory and Behaviour (Example Used in Slides Protestant-Catholicism) Groups with different religions/denominations were not allowed to be found in another group’s territory or it meant violence Factors Affecting Your Sense of Place and Sense of Danger Status and Stigma- places labelled by social position Security and Stress- home as castle (private property as a vital element of the soul) Physical Form va eb associated with feeling safe Open areas Street lighting Bright places Attracting pedestrian flow Retail / residential areas Visible places Police presence Security and Stress in the City Downtowns are considered more unsafe than suburbs yet acts of more acts of B&E, theft and murder occur in the suburbs where it's assumed to be safer and have less gangs Police activity focuses in low income, non-white, transition areas for crime but statistics show higher income, white and neighborhoods are at higher risk Where do guns come from? In 2016 the RCMP estimated that up to 61% of illegal guns started life as a legal Canadian firearm- perception was that it came from the US; most guns started as legal firearm Some of the other 39% came from the U.S. Reality: Crime in Canada Highest overall crime rate was in small urban areas Canada’s most violent cities are all in the prairies  Crime Severity Index: counts crimes and ranks them by severity in order to gauge the relative violence taking place across the country Toronto crime severity index is 48.7 which is under the Canadian average of 72.9 Barrier and Quebec City had the lowest rate in crime rate Prairie cities like Edmonton, Saskatoon, Winnipeg and Regina have crime severity rates over 100 Why is Crime Research Difficult to Conduct? Complete ban on the collection and release of all race-crime data No quantitative data, only qualitative research Toronto Star Analysis and Report 2002 Toronto Star was allowed access to police database from 1996-2002 Racial Profiling: General all crimes- bBack people were arrested by Toronto police and treated harshly than other races Traffic Rule Violations: A disproportionate number of black motorists are ticketed for traffic violations Simple Drug Possession White- 63.8%, Black-23.8%, 12.0% of Brown, Chinese Simple Drug Possession Black people are accused more than white people for simple drug possession (held) White people were released on the scene more than Black people (released Brown people were released like the same way as white people, while others were treated like black people (released) Place of Residence Matters: Respondents living in high crime neighbourhoods are also more likely to be stopped and searched than those who reside in safer communities