Tray Norman Place vs Space

In Lane's book Landscapes of the Sacred, there is a diagram that expresses topos vs chora, or place vs space. On the horizontal axis is place (chora) with all the way to the left being labeled comfort and all the way to the right being labeled constriction. On the vertical axis is space (topos) with all the way at the top being labeled freedom and all the way at the bottom being labeled threat. Place vs space raises the question of which one is more important, the freedom of space of the safe enclosure of place? Both of these spatial categories appear in the experiences of all Americans. From the security and stability of place we are aware of the openness, freedom, and threat of space. But, for space and place alike, a continuum stretches between a tendency to attract and a tendency to repell, suggesting positive and negative dimensions of each experience. The vertical axis expresses a more neutral, impersonal, and analytical notion of space as topos. At the top of the continuum, one discovers freedom, the celebration of the limitless possibilities of an expanding frontier. Yet, at the bottom of the continuum, one discerns a frightening sense of infinite space without limits, lackinh any comfronting point of reference, which is very threatening to humans. The horizontal axis embraces the more dynamic and personally engaging conception of place as chora. One finds distinct comforts and assurances of place.