Rethinking the Meaning of Place - 9780754678144

The increasing spread of newly `invented' places, designed under innovative configurations, such as theme parks, shopping malls and revamped historic areas, makes a need for a redefinition of the concept of `place', especially from an architecture-urbanism perspective.

This book provides an interdisciplinary examination of the modernization of the concept, assessing the various approaches, and categorizes the new places according to the different phenomenological experiences they are able to provide. It analyses the impact such new types of place have upon society's environmental perception, and argues how these places can contribute towards enhancing the quality of life in today's cities.

`A lucid and balanced overview on the complex meanings of place, which takes the reader on a journey encompassing a comprehensive literature review as well as field-work straight to the heart of society, posing questions and offering non-mainstream yet fulfilling and contemporary interpretations of "places of urbanity".---Ombretta Romice, President, International Association for People-Environment Studies

This interdisciplinary series provides original, original, thought-provoking perspectives on environmental aesthetics, architecture, urban design, and related issues from the building scale to the scale of regional geography. It provides a forum for innovative research conducted by psychologists, philosophers, geographers, anthropologists and cultural studies experts, together with environmental designers and planners and the range of related disciplines and professions.