Space and place in digital technology research: a theoretical overview

This chapter provides an overview of theories of space and place that conceptualise the physical environment "beyond geometry": not simply as a structure but as the experienced physical context of interaction. The overview is presented in two parts: firstly approaches that take the physical environment as primary unit of analysis; and secondly those that consider the environment as experientially, socially and culturally constructed, and have human activities as experiences as main concern. It points out how the terms space and place themselves are conceptually loaded and carry different meanings (Casey, 2001). Finally, we review some significant examples of how different spatial notions have been used by researchers in the interactive systems design field.