Symbolism In Assuming Places

Wynne and O’Connor (1996), among others, suggest that ‘processes of commodification, the production of the consumer and places (palaces) of consumption” proved integral to the transformation of the city in the 19th Century. These developments also saw new cultural experiences emerge around activities and places of consumption, such as new social activities in department stores. (Laermans, 1993) Crewe and Beaverstock (1998) cite that the localised cultures around consumption were crucial in regenerating a corner of Nottingham’s city centre.

John Urry (1995) writes that consumption, in its most literal form, lends itself to the purchase, use and symbolic significance of material objects. Consumption goes beyond the simple purchasing of goods,

Commonly middle-class gentlemen, the flaneur enjoyed ‘people watching’ but avoided interfering in the city landscape through engaging with it. The tourist in particular partakes in this culture of flaneurism, observing and consuming the urban environment. In ‘The Tourist Gaze’ Urry (1990) refers to this way of observing the city as the ‘tourist gaze’ where the ordinary is extraordinary through the novel experience of observing the foreign on a scale drastically different from everyday experiences.

Chatterton and Hollands (2003) argue that consumerism is not merely the purchaing of goods and services, but is also experience. It is the interaction from the practices it produces, and the aesthetic appeal of places where consumption occurs. It is a place where ‘social structure is mediated to and by individuals.’

Major cities can differ greatly in terms of their social, environmental, and economic differences, however all struggle with issues of environmental quality. Our habits of consumption produce more waste than can be efficiently managed. Waste products are often transported over long distances, particularly radioactive waste, which is frequently

(Braun 2005) Examples such as those listed however suggest that the relationship between society and nature deserves a place in geographical discourse. Despite our attempts to keep nature and the urban as separate spaces, nature permeates urban life. Braun seeks to explore how nature and the urban can be integrated with relation to energy consumption. He encourages urban forms and practices to be reimagined as a productive land area, aiming to reduce the ecological footprint of the city. He advocates for the amalgamation of the urban, integrating cities with the physical surroundings, restoring natural environments within the city and integrating the health of the environment into planning and design. He also suggests cities should not look to draw from productive land outside the