Place Theory

A reflective piece on how large language models represent place: the difference between spatial and platial knowledge, what LLMs do well (cultural associations, character, narrative), what they get wrong (boundaries, recency, under-represented places), and how to build applications that use this capability honestly.

Introducing Chora, the first Python library to model the human experience of place. Built on rigorous theory from GIScience, cognitive geography, and social physics, Chora provides tools for processing GPS traces, detecting routines, mapping emotions, and understanding places as lived experiences rather than coordinate pairs.

A comprehensive reflection on a three-month Horizon CDT Impact Grant project that delivered industry-ready resources for leisure walking systems, exploring achievements, challenges, and broader implications for academic-industry collaboration.

An extended reflection on the difference between the spatial and the platial, why it matters for data, design, and everyday life, and how embracing both can transform how we map the world.

Discover how the Platial Atlas project proposes capturing and representing places as they are lived and perceived by communities, using the PlaceCrafter framework to move beyond conventional geographic boundaries.

This manifesto-style post introduces the concept of 'placing code' - software development that respects geography, culture, and context. Drawing from research in Geographic Information Science and platial information systems, it argues for technology that serves human spatial relationships rather than replacing them.