ABSTRACT
The concepts of place, place-making, and placelessness entered the dis courses of the built environment professions from the 1970s, primarily informed by phenomenological philosophy. The language of ‘place’ has proven to be much more than fashion, because it resonates deeply with everyday concerns about the values and transformation of our cities and landscapes. Yet developers and politicians have long reduced such discourse to profitable slogans—slippery conceptions of place identity and urban character that fit easily into neoliberal ideology. Place and placelessness need to be understood as contested concepts that can be both empowering and dangerous in different contexts.
