Relational place‐making: the networked politics of place

TLDR

Place‑making, the social, political, and material processes that shape lived geographies, is a crucial yet under‑studied aspect of political theory, and its inherently networked nature—linking individuals through shared place‑frames—has been insufficiently integrated with network concepts, political theory, and place studies. The study investigates how integrating network, political, and place concepts can guide empirical research on relational place‑making. The authors employ case studies in Bolivia’s forests and Athens, USA to examine these integrated concepts. They argue that a robust, explicit notion of relational place‑making—networked, political processes of place‑framing—provides new analytical utility for political and urban geographic scholars.

Abstract

Place‐making – the set of social, political and material processes by which people iteratively create and recreate the experienced geographies in which they live – is an important but oft‐neglected part of political theory. Place‐making is an inherently networked process, constituted by the socio‐spatial relationships that link individuals together through a common place‐frame. While place‐oriented scholars have long acknowledged the importance of interaction and communication in place‐making, the mutual integration of network concepts, political theorisations and place conceptualisations has been relatively weak. We use case studies in Bolivia’s forests and Athens, USA to explore how integrating these concepts can guide empirical research. This article argues that a more robust and explicit notion of ‘relational place‐making’– the networked, political processes of place‐framing – positions the concept of place in a way that offers new analytical utility for political and urban geographic scholars.