In geography, we use the word space to talk about wide open areas and locations that humans don't think about. It is what you see out of your car window while you drive through the desert. A whole lot of space... Geographers also use the word space to talk about areas in an abstract way. A geographer studing Eastern Asian culture may ask a question like: "How does language change across space in China?" Imagine drawing a big circle on a map. How does the type of land change across the space you drew? How does the human population change across the space? |
A place is made by all of the people who have lived inside of it. You may have been wondering: how is the center of a tightrope a place? For the tightrope walker, even for a split second, that tiny location on a rope in between two buildings meant something to him. By experiencing life on the rope, he built that place. Places are full of sensation, from the smell of your favorite recipe to the sound of steel drums being played. Places help us feel emotions and find meaning in our lives. Remember: what may be a space to you may be a place to someone else, AND places are not automatically more important than spaces! |
Welcome to Dolores Park in San Francisco's Mission District!
Dolores Park is a sight to behold on any day of the week in San Francisco. In Dolores park, it might not always be sunny, but it feels that way. Let's imagine we're standing inside of the image above. We hear convesations being shared, we catch the smells from the picnic baskets nearby, and we can feel the crisp grass on our feet. When we zoom out and take a look at the map to the left of the photo, we lose sight of all of those feelings and sensations.
Which of the two figures above shows Dolores Park as a place and which shows it as a part of geographic space? Why?
Which of the two figures above shows Dolores Park as a place and which shows it as a part of geographic space? Why?