Changing Places is a core part of A-Level Geography. Revise the key concepts and common mistakes below, then lock them in with the free games.
Key concepts
PlaceLocation imbued with meaning through experience and culture.
Place attachmentEmotional bond linking people to specific places.
Insider perspectiveEmbedded local knowledge; rituals, slang, hidden spaces.
Outsider perspectiveExternal view; first impressions, official descriptions.
Endogenous factorInternal: location, geology, demography, land use.
Exogenous factorExternal: trade, migration, government policy, climate.
RegenerationLong-term comprehensive improvement; economic, social, environmental.
RebrandingReshaping place image to attract investment or visitors.
GentrificationWealthier residents replacing original community; rents rise.
Flagship projectIconic build to spark wider change; Tate Liverpool.
StudentificationUniversity expansion changing demographics (e.g. Selly Oak).
Counter-urbanisationMovement to rural areas; common in MEDC; Norfolk, Devon.
Quantitative sourceNumerical: census, ONS data, IMD scores.
Qualitative sourceSubjective: art, poems, photos, interviews.
Common mistakes to avoid
Questions where students often pick the tempting wrong answer — make sure you know the right one:
What is the difference between the Burgess and Hoyt urban land use models?✗ Burgess and Hoyt models show the same thing in different drawings. ✓ Burgess (1925) describes concentric rings radiating from the CBD; Hoyt (1939) describes sectors (wedges) extending along transport routes — recognising how transport shapes urban growth.
Why do TNCs locate production in LICs?✗ Because TNCs want to develop poorer countries and lift them out of poverty. ✓ Lower labour costs, weaker regulation, access to raw materials, large potential markets, and government incentives like tax breaks in special economic zones.
What happens during an El Nino event?✗ El Nino is when the ocean gets colder near Peru. ✓ Trade winds weaken, warm water that normally pools in the western Pacific spreads east, disrupting weather patterns globally — drought in Australia, floods in South America.
What is the main social impact of gentrification?✗ Gentrification only has positive effects because it makes areas nicer. ✓ Displacement of long-term lower-income residents as rents and property prices rise, often along with loss of community businesses and cultural identity — even if the area looks 'improved'.
What drives the movement of tectonic plates?✗ The Earth's rotation makes the plates move. ✓ Convection currents in the mantle combined with slab pull at subduction zones and ridge push at constructive boundaries.
Practise Changing Places — free games
Test yourself with these quick revision games for this topic:
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