Transcript Thirdspace in Las Vegas - Geographical Association

UNSETTLING SETTLEMENT:
Thirdspace in Las Vegas
Teacher to Teacher session
Richard Bustin, Geography teacher, Bancroft’s school.
© Old Shoe Woman/ Flickr
THE CONCEPT....
Thirdspace is a conceptual tool that can be used to investigate urban areas.
Uses university thinking about ‘place’. This study uses the lived space of the
Homeless in Las Vegas.
FIRSTSPACE: The built environment. It can be mapped and measured.
SECONDSPACE: The representational space. It is conceptual.
THIRDSPACE: The “lived space”- the experience in first space mediated through
second space expectations.
© Christopher Chan/ Flickr
FIRSTSPACE: The “Real” Space of Las Vegas
Monte Carlo Resort
The Las Vegas “Strip”
New York New York Hotel and casino
MGM Grand Hotel and casino
SECONDSPACE: The “Representational” space…
The Geographical Imagination….
The “commodification” of Las Vegas…
“selling the city”:
“Sin City”
“City of Opportunity”
Film… TV…
Music…Advertising
… Excitement, danger, a
place where dreams come
true, “the world in a city”.
“The American Dream”
“Must see, must visit, must invest”
THIRD SPACE: The “actual LIVED SPACE”…
The experience in first space mediated through second space expectations.
Homelessness in Las
Vegas.
THE LEARNING ACTIVITY....
How does the
experience of life in
the Thirdspace of Las
Vegas affect the
homeless?
© Sam Pac/ Flickr
© Old Shoe Woman/ Flickr
The lessons:
Starter activity:
1. Write down three words you associate with- “New York, Scunthorpe, Edinburgh
Baghdad, Las Vegas”.
Share ideas- where do these ‘geographical imaginations’ about place originate?
2. Exploring representations of place: “Viva Las Vegas” music video, ZZ Top:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dBDa7Qr0bsM
How have the makers of the video chosen to present the City? How have they achieved this
and what have they done?
2. Introduce the three spaces:
Explore Firstspace through
Google Earth!
Take a virtual fieldtrip in
Google Earth- How do you
feel? What is the experience
like?
Imagine you were homeless in Las Vegas....
3. How would the Firstspace affect a homeless person? Worksheet explores the ideas....
... And the Secondspace?
© Sam Pac/ Flickr
4. Putting it all together... “How does life in the Thirdspace of Las Vegas affect the homeless?”
Year 9 work
Extending the idea....
Using Thirdspace to explore the lived space of illicit drug users in Edinburgh...
1. Starter- Introduce the lived space with “Trainspotting” film intro- CAUTION- contains
strong language (on You Tube)
2. Explore aspects of the Firstspace and Secondspace of Edinburgh from a drug users
perspective, record on worksheet.
3. Put ideas together- What is the lived space of drug addicts in Edinburgh?
WorksheetPupils have to decide
for themselves which
space (first or
second) different
areas of the City
represent.
Year 10