1. Core Concepts Flashcards
Why is it helpful or important to have a geographic education?
Having a geographic education is really important to help you understand what is happening in the world
Understanding geography can be applied to various careers
What does a geographical perspective look like?
- Understanding the nature of places and spaces
- Looking at how spaces and places compare to one another
- Searching for the consequences for those differences
- Understanding everything is either related, or it is not. Differentiating between relations.
- Analyzing different spaces to understand how they are different and what processes or pressures created the difference
- Essentially: critical thought and analyzing
- Understanding places and spaces have dynamic relationships
- Looking at how cultures are affected by their environments
What is Spatial Variation?
Geographical/spatial difference/variation means to analyze how spaces are different and determine what is going on or what the processes are that shaped that particular space or place.
What is the difference between space and place?
In common language we often use these terms interchangeably and we don’t think about the difference between space and place. However, in geography space and place have very distinct definitions.
Space
Often analyzed from perspective of:
* locational analysis
* Marxist or Materialist perspective with an emphasis on examining relations of domination and resistance
Place
Usually approached from a more humanistic tradition to investigate the “sense of place” as experienced in particular settings. The meaning of place.
What were the three ways we discussed using space?
Absolute Space - a mathematical tool to define the size of a location or distance between locations. Often used in/with maps and grids
Relative/Perceptual Space - Socio-economic space and processes. i.e. people’s experiences of spaces.
Scale - Space comes in different sizes and we can conceptualize space through its scale
What is absolute space?
Absolute Space - a mathematical tool to define the size of a location or distance between locations. Often used in/with maps and grids
What is Relative/Perceptual Space?
Relative/Perceptual Space - Socio-economic space and processes. i.e. people’s experiences of spaces.
Could be used in reference to experiencial or cultural space (residential areas, transportation routes), or cognitive space (mental memory maps of how people see or experience connections in everyday spaces.
How is space produced?
Human activity produces space.
Henri Lefebvre came up with this concept in his book “the production of space.”
Who is Henri Lefebvre?
Henri Lefebvre came up with the concept that human activity creates space in his book “the production of space.”
In what ways to humans attribute value to space? (types of values)
social value
economic value
environmental value
personal/sentimental value
What is place?
Place refers to a specific location or type of space with acquired meaning.
- This can be positive or negative meaning.
- Meaning is usually derived by experiences, thoughts, connections to spaces or the people who occupy them.
- Places also have collective meanings for societies.
What is Sense of Place?
Places evoking communal or personal attachment are said to have a “sense of place.”
What are Sacred Places?
highly valued places maybe sacred places which:
* Reflect religious symbolism or function
* Reflect strong political or communal value
* This can lead to conflict.
What are Homogenous or Standardized Places?
Homogeneous or standardized places may produce a feeling of “placelessness,” which means they fail to produce a sense of place or community.
How is placelessness manufactured?
Some of these locations are purposefully designed too create “placelessness” (i.e. soul-less office buildings).
Examples include:
- Emitting high pitched sounds that only young people can hear to dissuade young loiters7
- putting up “you’re on camera” signs to dissuade the homeless
- implementing other anti-human devices such as seating in public places or bus stops which are made purposefully in a way that they are not able to be slept on by homeless people nearby
What influences place?
- Social/psychological
- physical well-being and opportunities - bike lanes and walkable cities
- emotional and cultural symbols - living in a religious community like an orthodox community where there are people and processes in place to help you live more comfortably
- resistance and conflict - landsdown & building our trains
What are the three characteristics we discussed that describe place?
- location: a specific space, a particular position in space
- locale: this setting or context for social interactions; Dynamic relationship between a place and the social activities that take place within it
- sense of place: places that have oak feelings or deep attachment, whether individual or communal, that result from the experiences associated with it
Describe the process of places being made. (placemaking)
- Placemaking is always incomplete and dynamic
- placemaking is always a two way process which features an interdependence between processes and places
What is a Region?
Region is an area defined by shared characteristics, significantly bigger than “space”
What are the types of regions we discussed?
o Formal (uniform) regions: shared characteristics
o Functional (nodal) regions: shared function
o Vernacular (perceptual) regions: shared perception
What is regionalization?
The process of classifying locations.
Geography is about looking at places in spaces and how they differ from other places in spaces, regionalization refers to this process.
What is meant by “landscapes”?
A regions visible characteristics are often described as it’s landscape
cultural landscapes embody meaning and symbolism
Describe formal (uniform) regions
- has well defined boundaries
- Features a set of homogeneous characteristics
Possible Human Geography Characteristics: Language, culture, religion, political affiliation, etc
Possible Physical Geography Characteristics: mountains, rivers, lakes, climate, temperatures, soil, vegetation, etc
Describe functional (nodal) regions
Shared functions, processes, and networks
i.e. economic processes, trade routes, transportation networks, communication networks (television, Internet connectivity), etc
There is often a “node” or a hub where the activity originates
Often used in economic geography and industrial regions
Describe how humans affect scales
Scales do not inherently exist, they are made by humans. Scales are the result of human activity.
Describe how scales involve both structures and processes
Scales are material
a. Municipal scale
b. Provincial scale
c. National scale
but they are also the outcome of activities and processes
a. scales of healthcare delivery
b. Scale of environmental impact
What are the three types of scale?
Cartographic Scale (or Map Scale)
Methodological Scale
Geographical Scale
Describe Cartographic Scales (or Map Scales)
Maps simplify and codify spatial information.
scale relates map distance to absolute distance.
* expressed mathematically, visually, or verbally
* The challenge is to represent the real world on a map
What are the two major categories of maps?
Reference Maps: designed to illustrate location
Thematic Maps: designed to illustrate analysis
Thematic Maps are designed to illustrate…
analysis
Reference Maps are designed to illustrate…
location
What are the four types of Thematic Maps?
Dot Maps
Choropleth maps
Isoline maps
Cartograms
Describe Dot Maps
Maps of measurement over an area
difference is indicated by number of dots of identical value
Describe Choropleth maps
maps of measurement over an area
difference indicated by shades or colours - i.e. population density, number of covid cases, number of households, etc
Describe Isoline maps
link points with the same measurement
Describe Cartograms
often maps of measurement for an area
difference indicated by distortion of area size
Describe Methodological Scale
operational: scale or resolution of data collection and analysis
Describe Geographical Scale
territorial category: type of area or region.
Body, home, neighbourhood, community, local, region, national, global
Most important in Human Geography (i think? she pointed in class)
Do scales affect one another?
Yes! Scales are interrelated and interdependent!
What are the main “levels” of scale?
Global
National
Regional
Local
How do we depict scales most effectively?
Geographers have differing opinions, many suggest most depiction are too heirarical and don’t properly show that scales can all affect one another directly.
