A ‘placeful’ station? The community role in place making and improving hedonic value at local railway stations

Abstract

a b s t r a c tIn recent years, railway stations have come to be seen as non-places within society, points of transit and nothing more. The role of the station in place making is disputed with stations seen as both creating and destroying a sense of place within a community. Our study is located within the railway stations of Scotland and explores how local communities have been empowered to reclaim, customise, and re-appropriate stations to simultaneously create a sense of place and better promote their community to the outside world. Drawing on ethnographic research we refute the notion that stations are somehow 'placeless'. We show how through a process of legitimisation, a sense of ownership and appropriation of the station environment, communities are able to transform the station, improving hedonic value and recapturing a sense of place.

Identifying European and Chinese styles of creating tourist destinations with intangible cultural heritage: A comparative perspective

“…The definition of place making may vary between different scholars, but it is mainly used to describe “sense” and “material” meanings. When “place making” is mentioned as “sense of place” in the cultural geography tradition (Alexander & Hamilton, 2015; Coates & Seamon, 1984; Eldridge & Eldridge, 1994; Gupta, 1992; Tuan, 1974), it refers to both the intrinsic characteristics of a place and to the emotional attachment that people experience in relation to a specific place (Kitchin & Thrift, 2009). From this perspective, the sense of place implies feeling as a crucial human response to existing social relationships rather than as an emotion solely experienced and articulated at the subjective level (Eldridge & Eldridge, 1994).…”

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“…'Cause we met in the pub, and it was the place it was, all the men had to go … walk past to go to the toilet and the drunken men would come across … and it wasn't a particularly nice atmosphere. (Denise)" (Platt 2019, p.367-368) Indeed Alexander and Hamilton's (2015) work on the placemaking value that individually restored railway stations have on local village economies suggests environments that decline in value or character over time, also lose any positive "sense of place" they may have had. Building upon Dethier's (1981) concept of "non-place" or "placelessness", and Bishop's (2002) concerns regarding a loss of cultural or traditional connection to place, Alexander and Hamilton point out that:…”

Analysis of satisfaction factors at urban transport interchanges: Measuring travelers’ attitudes to information, security and waiting

“…Another interesting facet of transport hubs as a place is related to the concept of sense of place created in a specific social context (Alexander and Hamilton, 2015). It describes how communities can involvement in changing the meanings of spaces (as train stations) taking part in the introduction of physical improvements, new facilities or aesthetic appeal and in turn improving to the sense of community and attachment felt towards them.…”