Characteristics of Places
Geography: Edexcel A Level, topic 5.2.1
The Function of Places
The function of a place is the main reason why a settlement was built or continues to exist. This can change over time and this changes the characteristics of a place. The main functions of a place are:
Administrative function
- Council offices, schools, clinics and hospitals usually fulfil an administrative function.
Commercial function
- Offices for service industry firms, like legal services and accountants, fulfil a commercial function.
- Grant Thornton is an example of a business that provides accountancy services. Its offices would fulfil a commercial function in a place.
Retail function
- Shops for the likes of Zara (which is owned by a company called Inditex), grocery stores/supermarkets like Tesco and malls (which can be owned by Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield) all fulfil a retail function.
Industrial function
- Factories, warehouses and distribution centres all fulfil an industrial function.
- Amazon, the online retailer calls its distribution centres 'fulfilment centres'.
The Demography of Places
The demographic characteristics of a place or region can change its make-up and also change over time:
Age of population
- Life expectancy has increased in the UK in the last 50 years, so the population is ageing in general.
- Rural areas in the UK have a higher percentage of elderly people in their population relative to urban areas.
Ethnic composition
- Ethnic compositions have become more varied in some areas and not others.
- London is traditionally a hub for multiculturalism, with lots of different ethnicities and nationalities mixing together.
- But within London, some communities of immigrants are concentrated together. Historically in the 1900s, Brixton had a densely populated immigrant community.
Gentrification
- Gentrification is the process that sees low-income groups displaced by affluent people who usually have professional or managerial occupations.
- Gentrification is usually associated with improvements in the quality of housing.
- In London, this has happened in areas like Shoreditch and seems to be happening gradually in Elephant and Castle and Brixton.
Test yourself on Characteristics of Places
Which of the following is a NOT a function of a place?
Which of these is true of rural populations in the UK?