Identity and Sense of Place

Active learning works well for identity and sense of place because students must connect abstract economic and social processes to real experiences and emotions. Through role play, discussion, and analysis, they see how regeneration touches people’s lives in concrete ways rather than just studying policies or statistics.

• Year 12
• Geography
• 3 activities
• 25 min–60 min

Learning Objectives

1. Analyze how geographical features and human activities in a specific place contribute to a shared sense of belonging for a community.
2. Evaluate the influence of media representations and personal experiences on an individual's attachment to their hometown.
3. Compare and contrast the factors that create distinct 'sense of place' narratives for indigenous populations versus urban developers.
4. Critique the impact of globalization on local identities and the potential homogenization of place attachment.

Role Play

⏱ 60 min·Whole Class

Role Play: The Regeneration Public Inquiry

Students act as developers, local residents, and council members in a mock public inquiry for a new luxury flat development in a working-class area. They must argue their case based on economic and social data.

Prepare & details

Explain how attachment to place contributes to individual and community identity.

Facilitation Tip: During the Regeneration Public Inquiry, assign roles clearly and provide each participant with a short brief that reflects real stakeholder interests to keep the debate grounded.

Setup: Open space or rearranged desks for scenario staging

Materials: Character cards with backstory and goals, Scenario briefing sheet

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Social Awareness
• Self-Awareness

Inquiry Circle

⏱ 50 min·Small Groups

Inquiry Circle: Rebranding Success Audit

Groups research a specific UK rebranding project (e.g., 'Glasgow's Miles Better' or 'Hull City of Culture'). They must find evidence of both economic growth and social impact to determine if the project was a true success.

Prepare & details

Analyze the factors that create a strong 'sense of place' for different groups.

Facilitation Tip: For the Rebranding Success Audit, give groups a simple scoring rubric and ask them to present both quantitative data (e.g., footfall counts) and qualitative feedback (e.g., resident quotes).

Setup: Groups at tables with access to source materials

Materials: Source material collection, Inquiry cycle worksheet, Question generation protocol, Findings presentation template

• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Create
• Self-Management
• Self-Awareness

Think-Pair-Share

⏱ 25 min·Pairs

Think-Pair-Share: Gentrification - Good or Bad?

Students are given a list of gentrification effects (e.g., rising house prices, new cafes, displacement). They must categorize them as positive or negative and then debate their findings with a partner.

Prepare & details

Critique the idea of a universal sense of place, considering diverse cultural perspectives.

Facilitation Tip: When running the Think-Pair-Share on gentrification, set a timer for the individual and pair phases to prevent one student from dominating the discussion.

Setup: Standard classroom seating; students turn to a neighbor

Materials: Discussion prompt (projected or printed), Optional: recording sheet for pairs

• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Awareness
• Relationship Skills

Teaching This Topic

Teachers should anchor lessons in lived experiences by starting with familiar places before introducing case studies like London 2012 or Liverpool Docks. Use guided comparisons between before-and-after data to show that physical change doesn’t always mean social improvement. Avoid letting students reduce regeneration to a simple success or failure story; emphasize the trade-offs and varied perspectives involved.

What to Expect

Successful learning looks like students distinguishing between gentrification and planned regeneration, justifying their views on change, and using evidence to assess whether redevelopment improves life for all residents. They should also articulate how place identity is shaped by both physical and human factors.

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

Common Misconception

During the Think-Pair-Share activity on gentrification, watch for students using the terms regeneration and gentrification interchangeably.

What to Teach Instead

Use the Venn Diagram students complete in the Rebranding Success Audit to pause and ask them to compare and contrast the two processes during the Think-Pair-Share.

Common Misconception

During the Rebranding Success Audit, watch for students assuming that new buildings equal success.

What to Teach Instead

Require groups to include at least one social data point (e.g., change in average rent or local employment) alongside physical changes in their audit presentations.

Assessment Ideas

Discussion Prompt

After the Regeneration Public Inquiry, facilitate small group discussions where students adopt the roles they played and explain the place’s identity from that perspective. Circulate and listen for evidence of how the change affects different groups.

Quick Check

During the Rebranding Success Audit, collect student audits and quickly scan for whether they have identified both factors that preserve a sense of place for existing residents and factors that might attract newcomers.

Peer Assessment

After the Think-Pair-Share on gentrification, have students use a simple checklist to assess their partner’s argument. The checklist asks: Is the distinction between regeneration and gentrification clear? Are at least two perspectives considered? Is the conclusion supported by evidence?

Extensions & Scaffolding

• Challenge: Ask students to design an infographic that compares two regeneration projects, one judged a success and one a failure, using at least one economic and one social indicator.
• Scaffolding: Provide sentence starters for the Think-Pair-Share (e.g., 'Gentrification affects existing residents by...') and offer a word bank of key terms.
• Deeper exploration: Invite a local planner or community group member to share how decisions about regeneration are made in your area, then have students write a reflective paragraph on what they learned about power and participation.

Key Vocabulary

Sense of Place	The subjective feelings and meanings people associate with a particular location, shaping their identity and connection to it.
Place Attachment	The emotional bond that people form with a specific place, influencing their sense of well-being and belonging.
Gentrification	The process where wealthier individuals move into a lower-income neighborhood, leading to changes in the area's character and displacement of existing residents.
Rebranding	The process of changing the image or perception of a place to attract new investment, residents, or tourists.
Homogenization	The process by which places become increasingly similar to one another, often due to global cultural and economic forces.