Lecture ch01a geography matters

Geography Matters – Chapter 1

• What is Human Geography? • Study of the spatial organization of

human activity and our relationship with the environment

• Place – The way we use & interpret the Earth environment for our culture

• Geographic Tools/Technology – Maps a used to study spatial relationships of Location, Culture, & Environment

• Regional Analysis & Planning• The process of

Figure 1.3 Influence of place in a center city neighborhood of Boston, MA

What do you notice about the landscape?

Major Issues in Human Geography & Human Development

Globalization: Increasing geographic interdependence of the world, characterized by:• Instant global communications between Places & Regions• Rapidly changing international relationships – economic & political,

often causing social upheaval & harm to many, warfare, famine, upside is global diffusion of innovations that improve quality of life

• Environmental degradation & concerns about Global Food security

Figure: Chapter 1 Opener Protesting rising food prices in Maputo, Mozambique, AfricaRead about this Human Rights/Labor situation on page 2 & 3 in the text.

The United Nations Human Development Index- http://hdr.undp.org/en/

http://hdr.undp.org/en/

Figure 1.1 Destruction caused in Japan by the March 2011 tsunami

Figure 1.2 Quality of life is impacted by proximity of oil refineries in Wilmington, California, Los Angeles County

Place – the cultural & physical attributes of an area.How People Interpret & shape the Physical Environment

• Geographic Literacy– Lack of geographic understanding and knowledge among

Americans, do you find this to be true? – Places are dynamic and complex impacted by ever-changing

environmental & human interactions. Natural Hazards & Manmade hazards: How does Japan prepare for the inevitability of Tsunami? Why is this residential neighborhood so close to a refinery?

Places hold Cultural Meaning

• Emotional and cultural symbols– Ex: Graceland (Memphis, TN) – home of Elvis Presley

• Ordinary places with special meaning– Childhood neighborhood imbued with cognitive maps

& memories

• Sites of innovation, change, conflict, social & political upheaval

• “Arab Spring” in• Morocco &• Egypt

Figure 1.4 Anti-government demonstrators flood Tahir Square, Cairo, Egypt on February 11, 2011

Human Geography is the study of the:• Spatial organization of human activities across Earth:• Agriculture, Human Quality of Life, Access to Natural Resources –

Water & Food, Fuel, Housing, Urban Development, Technology• How and why relationships are important - Influence of Major

Elements of Culture; Language & Religion, political organization, continual evolution & devolution of Nation-States.

• Geographers solve a variety of problems from local to global scales using tools such as Mapping technology; Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.), allows us to represent & analyze spatial data.

Used in:

Environmental analysis

City Planning

Business & Marketing

Diffusion of Diseases

Figure 1.A Urban planners examine a model of a new town near Stuttgart, Germany

Geographic Methods and Tools

• Observation representation analysis models• Qualitative (observed) & Quantitative (mathematical)

data• Remote sensing• Maps

– Social products – Map Scale

• GPS - Global Positioning Systems– President Reagan opened– Use of GPS from the– Military to private sector

Figure 1.5 Landsat satellite image:

Washington, DC and Baltimore, MD area

© 2013 Pearson Education, Inc.

Figure 1.6 Topographic map of Lugano, Switzerland. “Topo” meaning topography or lay of the land, & a “graphic” representation of Earth’s surface in elevation. Scale of 1:25,000 with 20 meter contours – Lines of equal Elevation representing height above sea level on the land.

Figure 1.7 Isopleth Map of precipitation for the African continentIsopleth – lines of equal spatial data – Precipitation in both Centimeters & Inches

Geographic Methods and Tools, (cont’d)


Figure 1.9 Located charts are generated by combining graphs, charts, or symbols with base maps

Geographic Methods and Tools – Maps

Elements of Maps:Title or Theme -Where is it on this map? Why is it so small?Scale – Distance on the map to distance on the land. Not shown on this map.Spatial Data – Arrows showing historical movements of Human Trafficking for Profit from 1500 to 1840Legend – Uses color to illustrate different forced African diaspora, precious metals, & spices & Opium.

Absolute Location

Figure 1.15 Latitude & Longitude measure Absolute Location on Earth

ParallelsMeridians


Figure 1.11 The Robinson projection: distance, direction, area, and shape are all distorted

Figure 1.12 The Peters projection: controversial “Europeanization” of Earth

Map Projections

• Systematic rendering of the Earth’s surface onto a flat surface from the Globe to a Flat Surface

• Equidistant, Conformal, Azimuthal, Equal-area– Distortion of distance, direction, shape, area


Map Projections, (cont’d)

Figure 1.10 Comparison of map projections


Figure 1.14 – Cartogram & Choropleth Map demonstrates global spatial inequality of all people living on US$10 or less a day. Cartogram distorts spatial area relative to the spatial data portrayed on the Map.

Figure 1.13 GIS technology used to map land cover – Choropleth MapGo to: http://Nationalatlas.gov & create this map & print the legend.

Map Types

http://nationalatlas.gov/


Census data combined with commercial data for market research in NYC – layers of spatial data used to create distinct maps for a specific purpose.

GIS Applications

• Geodemographic research


Spatial Analysis• Absolute Location

– fixed coordinates of latitude and longitude– GPS – Global Positioning System – triangulation of

latitude & longitude via 3 Satellites

• Site and Situation– Physical attributes and relative location– The high elevation topography of Denver, CO &

relative location near other major urban areas

Figure 1.16 Denver, Colorado is a major center for cable TV because of site and situation


Figure 1.17 Detail of Washington DC depends on this person’s experiences and perception

Spatial Analysis, (cont’d)

• Cognitive images (mental maps)– Based on perception and experience


• Space– Absolute or relative– Cognitive space– Topological space

(connectivity)


• Distance– Absolute or relative– Cognitive distance– “Everything is related to

everything else”– Friction of distance– Distance-decay


Figure 1.18 Metro map of Milan, Italy is a topological map showing connectivity between points in the city.


• Accessibility– Opportunity for interaction– Proximity– Distance and connectivity – Airline hub cities are more

accessible than other cities


• Spatial Interaction– Movement and flows

of human activity– Places can

complement each other

– Transferability– Spatial

organization of activity is continually changing

– Time-space convergence

Figure 1.19 The effects of changing transportation technologies, “shrinking” the world



• Spatial Interaction– Intervening

Opportunities determine the volume and pattern of movement and flows. Used in Economic Geography to analyze trade of goods & transportation.

• Spatial Diffusion– The ways & frequency of

ideas & innovations spread through space and over time. Diffusion of Religion Expansion diffusion – Give an Example

– Hierarchical diffusion – a phenomena originates from a major node, such as an Urban center & spreads to other regions



Figure 1.21 The Mormon cultural region in the Great Basin Region of the U.S.

Regional Analysis

• Regionalization– Functional regions– Regionalism– Sectionalism– Irredentism• RegionsAreas with majordefining characteristics:The Mormon CulturalRegion – SW U.S.


Figure 1.22 Landscapes can be symbolic of national identity as this landscape in Tuscany has for Italy

Figure 1.24 Picturesque landscape in England emblematic of the nation even though much change has occurred

Regional Analysis, (cont’d)

• Landscape– Ordinary and Symbolic – Many layers of meaning


Figure 1.25 Routine encounters in Italy help develop a sense of community

Figure 1.26 Community art helps create a sense of place in San Francisco

Regional Analysis, (cont’d)

• Sense of Place– Insiders and life world– Inter-subjectivity

Inter-subjectivity – the sense that we know what we know, our daily interactions with each other at home, school, work, and places.


Figure 1.27 This German town was once a prosperous regional center, but now is isolated and economically disadvantaged

Geographical Imagination

• Allows us to understand geographic change• Places and regions represent the cumulative

legacy of successive periods of change– General effects and unique outcomes


Figure 1.E “SoFi” was redeveloped with exclusive, resortlike condominium towers and became a playground for the young and affluent.

Figure 1.D South Beach, Miami embodies the layered legacy of successive waves of development and change. Art Deco architecture reflects the past.

Geographical Imagination, (cont’d)


End of Chapter 1