Understanding place as a concept requires students to consider different kinds of places in their own right, not just as examples of thematic geography. They need to explore different place meaning and identities, considering their local place as well as more distant places.

One of the oldest tenets of geography is the concept of place. As a result, place has numerous definitions, from the simple “a space or location with meaning” to the more complex “an area having unique physical and human characteristics interconnected with other places.”

Geographers define place as space plus meaning. Consider your school sports hall, it is a space that can be many places depending on the meaning it is given. It can be a sports final venue, exam hall, or party location. Location refers to a place on a map, it is a positivist way of defining place.

In geography, place refers to the physical and human characteristics that make a specific spot on Earth unique. It’s one of the five core themes of geography, and it answers a deceptively simple question: what is it like there?

That feeling isn’t random. It’s the product of a deep, layered relationship between human beings and their surroundings-one that environmental psychology calls the concept of place. This concept goes well beyond geographical coordinates.

The study of place and places are central to geography. The concept of ‘place’ can be interpreted in several ways, from a spatial location to a human experience.

Location simply describes where a place is on a map whereas meaning is more complex. Each place has a different meaning to different people and is therefore highly personal, experiential and subjective.

The quotes above show us quite a lot about what place is and why it is a difficult concept to define. Places can be defined in many ways and it would be easy to reduce places to simply descriptions of what they contain and look like.

Place is defined as location plus meaning. Location simply describes where a place is on a map whereas meaning is more complex. Each place has a different meaning to different people and is therefore highly personal, experiential and subjective.

In human geography, 'place' is fundamentally defined as 'space plus meaning.' While space represents an abstract, geometric area, place is a specific location that has been transformed by human experience, social processes, and emotional attachment.