Taking Stock of Urban Geography

Taking Stock of Urban GeographyAuthor(s): J. W. R. WhitehandSource: Area, Vol. 18, No. 2 (Jun., 1986), pp. 147-151Published by: The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers)Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/20002318 .

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Area (1986) 18.2, 147-151

Taking stock of urban geography

J W R Whitehand, Department of Geography, University of Birmingham, PO Box 363, Birmingham B15 2TT

Summary The serial literature on the internal structure of the city is examined for the years 1982/83 to 1984/85. Attention is given to variations by language area in the number of papers on different topics, the uneven spread ofpapers among a large number of serials and the widely dispersed authorship.

The literature of urban geography has become increasingly difficult to encompass. Apart from the sheer quantity of published work, a major reason is the increasing diffuseness of subject matter and perspective. This relates to the development of a greater variety of links with other social sciences, accompanied by a considerable enlargement of the serial literature in which geographers publish. Keeping alert to the serials that need to be consulted is a task itself and keeping abreast of their contents is an ideal that few can achieve. Furthermore, the difficulty that English-speaking geographers have in coping with the literature in other languages remains a serious problem. It is apparently common practice for researchers to publish their work largely in ignorance of the publications of their counterparts in other language areas. 1

With this in mind, an attempt is made here to summarise, from a series of more detailed surveys,2 some of the characteristics of geographical research on the internal structure of the city, in so far as these may be discerned from an analysis of the serial literature over the past three years (mid-1982 to mid-1985).3 Attention is primarily given to the proportion of publications on different research topics (especially the variations between language areas), the uneven dispersal of published work among a wide range of serials, and the tendency, with a few notable exceptions, for authorship to be widely spread.

Harris selects 443 serials that he considers ' to be of greatest continuing scholarly geographic interest, usefulness and accessibility . To monitor the contents of all these over a three-year period would have been an unwieldy and, in the present context, unjustified exercise. Eighty-two serials were selected that past experience suggested were likely to encompass the majority of the most significant geographical research on the internal structure of the city, including the main general geography research journals in the English, German and French languages and serials in kindred fields in which urban geographers were known to publish.5 The list was biased towards English-language serials owing to the difficulty of obtaining regular access to many of those in other languages. Nevertheless, it was felt that the thirty-one serials in other languages provided a basis for worthwhile comparisons with English language serials. With minor exceptions all papers and monographs (but not correspondence, notes and book reviews) on the internal structure of the city in the geography serials were included in the survey,6 together with those in the non geography serials that were authored or co-authored by a geographer.7

Each of the 437 pieces of published work (hereafter referred to as' papers ', although a small minority were monographs occupying a whole issue of a serial) was placed in a single category according to its predominant subject matter. The subjectiveness of

147



148 Taking stock of urban geography

this procedure, the relatively small number of papers from serials not in the English language, and the occasional publication of issues of a serial containing several papers on the same theme suggests that caution should be exercised in attributing significance to differences between cells in Table 1. There are, however, several major differences that would seem hard to account for by arbitrariness of classification or inadequacy of sample. First, there is a greater emphasis in German-language serials on morphology and the integration of several aspects of city structure, including studies of individual towns and generic types of towns. The homeland of urban geography in central Europe has retained its concern with the total character of places, including their cultural attributes and historical legacy, despite the powerful influence of the socio-economic perspective of Anglo-American geography.8 Secondly, research on retailing is receiving considerable attention in English-language and French-language serials but not in those in the German language. Thirdly, residential mobility and the inner city are major concerns in the English-language serials, but they are less prominent in the serials of the other languages. Indeed they attracted less interest in French-speaking countries than the CBD, which in the English-speaking world has been a comparatively

minor concern for some years. If serials are ranked by number of geographical papers on the internal structure of the

city, those in languages other than English appear to be under-represented among the top few (Table 2). But several French journals narrowly missed inclusion, and the paucity of German serials reflects their below average size. Environment and Planning A,

Table 1 Percentage of geographical papers on various aspects of the internal structure of the city in the serials of different languages, 1982/83 to 1984/851

English2 German3 French4 (n = 323) (n = 48) (n = 58)

Retailing 15 0 21 Residential mobility 11 6 0 Morphology 10 33 5

Inner city 8 4 3 Residential segregation 8 6 0 Public services 6 0 3 Reviews' 4 4 0 Integrations6 3 21 10

Counterurbanisation/urban fringe 3 6 10 CBD 2 4 12 Other 30 15 34

Excludes one paper in Dutch in Bulletin de la Societi Belge d'Etudes Geographiques and seven papers in serials in languages other than English, German and French

2 Includes Geografiska Annaler Series B, Lund Studies in Geography Series B, Operational Geographer, Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Canadian Geographer, and a paper in English in Bulletin de la Societt Belge d'Etudes Geographiques

3 Includes three papers in English 4 Includes two papers in French in Bulletin de la Sociiti Belge d'Etudes Giographiques 5 Mainly surveys of recent developments in urban geography and closely related fields 6 Several aspects of city structure considered in relation, especially within a single city, part of

a city or several cities



Taking stock of urban geography 149

Table 2 Geographical papers on the internal structure of the city in different serials, 1982/83 to 1984/85

Number Percentage Most frequent topic

Environment and Planning A 40 9-2 Retailing Urban Geography 37 8 5 Other Area 26 5-9 Retailing

Tijdschrift Econ. Soc. Geogr. 21 4-8 Residential mobility Annales de Geographie 17 3 9 Retailing Transactions, Inst. Br. Geogr. 17 3 9 Other Canadian Geographer 16 3-7 Morphology Geographical Analysis 15 3 4 Residential mobility Urban Studies 14 3 2 Residential mobility Professional Geographer 12 2 7 Other Annals, Ass. Am. Geogr. 11 2-5 Other Economic Geography 11 2^5 Other Geographical Review 11 2 5 Morphology Geographische Zeitschrift 10 23 * Other (55 serials) 179 41 0 Other

* < 2 papers on any one topic

an exceptionally large journal that contains papers in several fields in addition to geography, and Urban Geography, the only serial devoted exclusively to this branch of geography, together accounted for some 18 per cent of all papers on the internal structure of the city in the serials covered. This was twice as many papers as all the journals in the bottom half of our ranking put together. Approximately 50 per cent of papers were published in 10 serials and 90 per cent in about 40 serials. Large differences are apparent in the aspects of city structure covered by different journals. For example, papers on morphology were rare or absent in Environment and Planning A, Urban Studies, Urban Geography and Tidschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, whereas in the Geographical Review, Journal of Cultural Geography, Erdkunde and Die Erde this was the aspect of city structure considered most frequently.

Although one author contributed as many as ten papers (all of them co-authored), in general authorship was not as concentrated as studies of other disciplines and geography as a whole have revealed.9 For example, some 15 per cent of the 444 authors contributed about 40 per cent of the papers, whereas in several other fields a similar percentage of authors has contributed about one-half of the papers.'0 A large proportion of authors (81 per cent) contributed one paper only. Clearly many of them also contributed papers on topics outside the subject area covered by the survey.

Most authors contributing five or more papers were members of a small team. They confined their attention largely or exclusively to one aspect of city structure.

These individuals and their associates, mainly working within the English speaking world, together with other individuals and groups less clearly defined in our data, are establishing small salients on a long, ill charted research frontier. There is an increasing need for this specialised work-for example, on aspects of retailing, offices, public services, the elderly population, residential mobility, and crime-to be incorporated within more integrated studies and to be complemented by more



150 Taking stock of urban geography

strategic perspectives. It can in this way provide part of the foundation for the reinvigorated study of the character of places, a traditional concern of the discipline that in the English-speaking world has for some years received insufficient consideration. In this respect greater attention to the German-language literature would not be amiss among English-speaking urban geographers, for our survey suggests that it is in central European urban geography that concern with integration and place is most deeply rooted.

Acknowledgement The author is grateful to Professor Dr Heinz Heineberg for advice on the German-language literature and to Mr R G Ford for comments on a draft of this paper.

Notes 1 Whitehand J W R and Edmondson P M (1977) 'Europe and America: the reorientation in geographical

communication in the post-war period ' Professional Geographer 29, 278-82 2 Whitehand J W R (1984) 'Urban geography: the internal structure of cities' Progress in Human

Geography 8, 95-104; Whitehand J W R (1985) 'Urban geography: the city as a place' Progress in

Human Geography 9, 85-98; Whitehand J W R (1986) 'Urban geography: within the city' Progress in Human Geography 10, 103-17

3 The issues of serials that were included were, with minor exceptions, those received in the University of Birmingham Library between 1 July 1982 and 30 June 1985. The date of receipt of an issue did not

always correspond to the date of publication.

4 Harris C D (1980) Annotated world list of selected current geographical serials 4th edn (University of Chicago Department of Geography Research Paper 194), 1-2

5 The following serials were covered, partial coverage being indicated by an asterisk: Aachener Geographische Arbeiten, Die Alte Stadt*, Annales de Giographie, Annals of the Association of American

Geographers, Applied Geography, Area, Australian Geographer, Australian Geographical Studies, Berichte zur Deutschen Landeskunde*, Bonner Geographische Abhandlungen, Built Environment, Bulletin de la Socilti Belge d'Etudes Giographiques, Canadian Geographer, Cities*, Colloquium Geographicum, East Lakes Geographer, East Midland Geographer, Economic Geography, Ekistics, Environment and Planning A, Environment and Planning B, Environment and Planning C, Environment and Planning D, Die Erde, Erdkunde, L'Espace Giographique, Ptudes Vauclusiennes, Freiburger Geographische Hefte, Geoforum, Geograficky Casopis, Geografiska Annaler Series B, Geographia Polonica, Geographical Analysis, GeographicalJournal, Geographical Review, Geographische Berichte, Geographische Zeitschrift, Heidelberger Geographische Arbeiten, Hommes et Terres du Nord, Institute of British Geographers Special Publications, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Irish Geography, Journal of the American Planning Association, Journal of Cultural Geography, Journal of Historical Geography, journal ofRegional Science, Journal of Urban History, Kieler Geographische Schriften*, Land Development Studies, Land Economics, Lund Studies in Geography Series B, Mitteilungen der isterreichischen Geographischen Gesellschaft, Munchener Geographische Hefte, New Zealand Geographer, Norois, Operational Geographer, Petermanns Geographische Mitteilungen, Policy and Politics*, Political Geography Quarterly, Professional Geographer, Progress in Human Geography, Regional Studies, La Revue d'Auvergne*, Revue de Geogra phie de Lyon, Revue Giographique des Pyrinies et du Sud-Ouest, Rhein-Mainische Forschungen, Rivista di Urbanistica*, Scottish Geographical Magazine, Siedlungsforschung*, South African Geographical journal, Stadteforschung Reihe A*, Tiidschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Town Planning Review, Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers, University of Chicago Department of Geography Research Papers, Urban Affairs Quarterly, Urban Geography, Urban History Review, Urban Studies, Urbanism Past and Present, Verhandlungen des Deutschen Geographentages*, Yorkshire Archaeological journal.

6 The most significant exception was the exclusion of papers by non-geographers in a theme issue of Institute of British Geographers Special Publications in which most of the papers were invited contribu tions by authors from other professions. The selection of papers was to some degree arbitrary because the internal structure of the city is not a sharply defined topic and some papers also dealt to varying degrees with other topics.

7 To qualify as a geographer an author normally had to be affiliated to a department of geography. A small number of authors who did not qualify in this way were included if they were members of the

Association of American Geographers (Association of American Geographers (1982) AAG Directory) or the Institute of British Geographers (list of IBG members supplied by Miss A Hind, Administrative Assistant, IBG, March 1985).



Taking stock of urban geography 151

8 Whitehand and Edmondson op. cit.

9 Stoddart D R (1967) 'Growth and structure of geography' Transactions of the Institute of British

Geographers 41, 6-10 10 Fox M F (1983) ' Publication productivity among scientists: a critical review ' Social Studies of Science

13, 286

Geographers at the British Association

Report of the British Association Annual Meeting held at Strathclyde University in August 1985

The Annual Meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science is a uniquely attractive forum at which geographers can rub shoulders with, and inform, colleagues tilling other scientific and social scientific fields. Divided into sections (Geography is Section E) it is quite possible to enjoy purely geographical pursuits for up to a week. Alternatively, you can hear geologists, psychologists, medical statisticians, botanists and mathematicians (to name but a few fellow travellers) presenting very recent findings or synthesising advances in their fields. For we geographers, conscious of our image within the academic and lay community,

what a splendid opportunity for showing off our skills and expertise and our perspectives on environmental and human science!

Section E's programme at the BA addressed two broad themes: Urban Policy Issues, and Management and Use of the Scottish Countryside. Lectures on these topics were preceded by a series on the Local Region and by two full-day excursions. The President of Section E, B T Robson (Manchester), provided a historical context for subsequent papers on urban policy, reviewing a variety of myths about, and images of, the city and documenting anti-urban biases since the nineteenth century, before suggesting more imaginative policy initiatives for the future city. W Lever (Social and Economic Research, Glasgow) considered the extent to

which Glasgow could be thought of as a post-industrial city, and described the job losses from manufacturing and the suburbanisation of employment before considering a range of policy options for the city. J Goddard (Newcastle) looked at the implications of new information technologies for urban futures and asked which cities were most likely to be in a position to adapt to such opportunities. He saw the benefits being concentrated very much in a few major cities and little prospect of any fundamental change in inter-urban spatial structure. M Boddy (SAUS, Bristol) used evidence from Bristol to question whether that city is part of the 'high tech' growth corridor and concluded that while aerospace employment (in defence-related activities) is a significant employer, employment in other high technology industries is a very small fraction of the total. D Maclennan (Social and Economic Research, Glasgow) lamented the uncritical and infrequent scrutiny of urban housing policy, especially the rehabilitation programme. He painted a rather more encouraging picture of the rehabilitation programme as implemented in Glasgow, in contrast to evidence from English cities.

Other speakers addressed the mental health of urban residents (H Freeman, Hope Hospital, Salford), the social consequences of housing design (A Coleman, KCL), land values in inner-city areas (B Macgregor, Glasgow) and counterurbanisation in North Devon (D Grafton,

Plymouth Poly). Elsewhere in the conference the Royal Statistical Society had organised a meeting on medical statistics, where P Boyle (Harvard) spoke on descriptive epidemiological methods in cancer research, including those for detecting spatial pattern. Later, two presen tations from a Glasgow research team (R Tyndall, now Coventry DHA, and J Womersley,

Glasgow Health Board) described their approach to linking 1981 census and health data via postcodes and presented maps based on their specially defined ' community medicine areas'.



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Taking Stock of Urban Geography