GGR124H1 Lecture Notes - Environmental Determinism, Binary Opposition, Urban Sociology
Document Summary
The social construction of space challenges environmental determinism. When space and society influence each other it is called social-spatial relations. It allows us to understand that spaces change over time and they overlap. Different people have different experiences with space. Environmental determinism- social construction of space moves away from this. Humans are predisposed to certain behaviors based on their natural environments. A landscape is a visual representation of the environment- it is codified in a symbolic way in which we give value and meaning to certain landscapes- these meanings are reflections of culture, our identity and us. Class and culture may reflect what we see as valued and what we believe to be nature- this is the recursive relationship between society and space- this will reflect how we live and carry ourselves. Nature becomes a meaningful landscape- people will pay more for a landscape that is naturalized. Good nature- things attributed to good health, good mood.
