Space and the City
How did the globalization process differ prior to the digital age? How might it change in the future? Will cities play the same role as proximity becomes less essential to doing the actual work of commerce?
De Certeau’s definitions of place and space differ somewhat from what we’ve seen thus far. How do these definitions relate to LeFebvre’s understanding of space and place? Is de Certeau’s definition (of space in particular) as useful when thinking of non-physical spaces, particularly since he uses physical words like direction and velocity to describe it?
In both the de Certeau’s “Walking in the City,” and Sassen’s “Why Cities Matter,” I was struck by the lack of attention to the fact that makes cities what they are: density and diversity of people. Do people, not just financial professionals but the proximity of people in general, factor in to the markets described in Why Cites Matter? What is the connection between cities as places where large numbers of people actually live and work and cities as architectural spaces and commercial centers?
Space: a location that is used and moved through, and thus transformed. “Space is a practiced place” (de Certeau, 117)
Place: a distinct location, separated by relations to other places and configured by rules.