The High Street as a Sense of Place. A Case Study on Acton High Street, London.

Abstract

This paper will utilise the example of Acton High Street, located in Acton, London to understand the perceptions of local habitants of the ‘changing’ High Street throughout a proportion of lifespan in which they have lived in the area. The study takes into account a sample size of 64 people regarding their opinions and memories from Acton High Street. An in-depth questionnaire was used to see the differences between wards, gender and time in which the resident has lived in Acton. The questionnaire was designed to show a difference in sense of place, and whether this has changed to anybody. By ranking certain categories which were highlighted throughout the pilot study, an indication for how sense of place on Acton High Street has changed. Results showed that there is a bigger perception for change the further the participant lived from the High Street, and that feeling and perceptions towards the High Street have declined ever since the borough merge during the 1960s.