Abstract
Over recent years the sea has experienced re-interpretation as marine space, or more specifically as marine spatial planning (MSP) space. This article uses the concept of place as a contrasting interpretation to space, referring to place-making as a metaphor for the various ways in which meaning is created in the sea. As expressions of an intimate connection between experienced materiality and symbolism, places (unlike space) are never abstract, but always carry emotional dimensions. Place attachment can be the result of everyday profe ssional links, recreational activities, or living by the sea, and arises despite the greater intangibility of locations in the sea. As a result of their greater physical intangibility, places in the sea may require more frequent (re-)making than places on land, pointing to the inherent importance (and value in their own right) of the associated (socio-cultural) processes of place-making. The ability to engage in place-making is thus an important avenue for expressing place-based values, an understanding which could be used to enrich marine spatial planning processes. Focusing more on the intimate connections people have with places in the sea and how quality of place matters to them could turn MSP into an enabler of place-making, becoming more of a rich and continuous dialogue around the multiple ways in which people interact with and value the sea.
Highlights
With the advent of maritime/marine spatial planning (MSP), concepts surrounding marine space have received renewed and much deserved attention
This article uses the concept of place as a contrasting interpretation to space, referring to place-making as a metaphor for the various ways in which meaning is created in the sea
This article set out to question the current abstract interpretation of sea space as a foundation for MSP. It used the concept of “place” as discussed in humanistic geography to highlight the sea as a meaningful place, as opposed to the more distant concept of space (e.g. Tuan, 1977)
Summary
With the advent of maritime/marine spatial planning (MSP), concepts surrounding marine space have received renewed and much deserved attention. Technological progress, policy incentives and the increasing affordability of accessing more remote sea areas allowed new forms of interaction between humans and the sea to emerge Infrastructure such as wind turbines or cables is the visible manifestation of these new relationships, epitomising types of use that do not make extractive use of the sea’s resources but merely occupy large tracts of its space. To illustrate how different conceptions of the sea could lead to alternative spatial thinking, consider uses that require considerable investment in hard infrastructure (such as offshore wind farming). These uses usually require significant financial investment, which is why they go hand in hand with a desire for clear rules and regulations in order to obtain investment security. We end with a summary and a brief discussion of potential implications for MSP
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