A place becomes more than just a space when it allows the person within it to feel a specific and unique sense of purpose. Eliza the therapist computer program, for example, creates a place because an environment is created in which the user feels as if they are there to have their thoughts heard and “discussed.” Everything about the environment is tailored to fit this purpose: Eliza is programmed to respond in a therapist-like manner, and the user’s computer is, to the user, a private and intimate setting they feel comfortable in.
One environment I like is the quiet section of NYU Shanghai’s library. In particular, one of the desks on the middle right side of the library, against the wall of windows, early in the morning before most of the students stroll in. What makes this a place rather than just a space is how all of the features come together to promote what I use the space for and the feeling the space gives me: feeling productive and getting work done. The tall windows providing plenty of natural light, the lack of other students in the early morning hours, the quiet hum of the air conditioning just turning on, the surrounding shelves of books, and the soothing wood-and-purple color scheme all serve the purpose of creating a place for productive studying.
For a space to become a place, I think other users must also have similar reactions or purposes for using the space. In this sense, the quiet section of NYUSH’s library is successfully a place because of the fact that most of the other students who use it are there for the same purpose: to focus and get their work done. Similarly, Eliza successfully creates a place rather than a space because of its alleged ability to make its users feel as if they are talking to a real therapist and having their thoughts heard.