Doreen Massey argues that time-space compression has led places to lose their original characteristics and identities as they become influenced by western technology and globalized. While increased communication and movement has connected people globally, it has also made places more homogeneous as identical restaurants and shops can be found in different places. However, people also seek refuge in places that retain their heritage and local identities, which offer a sense of safety and simplicity. The author agrees that while economic and technological progress is important, each place should maintain its unique culture, heritage, and identities to avoid homogenization.

1. BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (HONOURS) IN ARCHITECTURE
THEORIES OF ARCHITECTURE AND URBANISM (ARC61303)
SYNOPSIS: REACTION PAPER (APRIL 2019)
Name: poh weng chuan ID No.: 0319951
Lecturer: Prince Favis Isip Tutorial Time: 10-1pm
Reader/Text Title: Global sense of place Synopsis No: 1a
Author: Doreen Massey
Doreen Massey explain that time space compression represent an identity of a place belonging to a certain
homogenous communities being capitalized and internationalized by outsider perspective, a place that no longer
carry its original characteristic as it begins to influences by western technology and machines.It becomes a bridging
gap between insiders and modernist, a progression of a place that shows different kind of sense of place. Massey
also describe that, retaining a sense of local identity in uprising of technology can bring geographical displacement
as well as bring forward a different kind of sense of experience in space and place.
On my perception towards Massey argument, I truly agree that speeding-up of economic and technology can bring
the sense of communication and movement globally, air travel in transporting people becoming a necessity of
human life and connecting people through media platform allows them communicate and to see the wonders of
different places. Take for instance, a developing country like Malaysia have has come long way from a place
formally a land of trading and agriculture to advancement in economic and technology, today Malaysia has its own
telecommunication system, transportation system, and self-sustaining economic.
On the other hand, she also mention that time-spaces changes overtime, where an identical place such as
restaurant or shops can be found throughout other places, whicheliminate the meaning of senseof place in ‘locality’.
While she also, explain that people tend to escape from this changes of place, a place of hustle bustle of life where
they tend to take shelter to a real sense of place or a place that remains its heritage identity with showcaseof safety
and uncomplicated. Upon agreeing with author’s statement. This can be shown on how Malaysia heritage site,
George Town, shop houses becomes so valuable, as they are also being replicated its style at different place this
may cause insignificant invaluable to its heritage. Furthermore, in Malaysia such as Kuala Lumpur life style people
tend to sometimes want to escape from this hubbub life, which the author trying to related to its argument of how
people would retreat from this change of ‘real life’.
On this paragraph, the author explains about her arguments that a place does not signify a single or distinctive
kind of identities, which creates significantly amount of internal conflict on how is natural heritage has been from
the past till the future, this can also related to the author’s experience living in Kilburn, which her memories of how
the characteristic of a place that has always been a consistent identity with its own unique features. But in the
present era, the place she lived has become multiple identities and felt that it can either be richness or conflict.
On the final statement, she argue that each place in the world should have their own distinctiveness value but does
not involved homogenization in culture and industry, as each place should focus their own social relation of
localization. In conclusion, I do felt the author’s concern in which how a sense of place is very important to an
identity to a single community of a place, as it changes over time. I do believe that each place in a nation should be
on a progress towards a new development but maintain its original identity of culture, heritage and race, so that
each and every places as their own uniqueness spreading across the world. This can be seen in Malaysia as people
from different background and ethnicity co-exist as one nation.
Word Count: 585 Mark Grade
Assessed by: Date 28/5/19 Page No.