“…historians look at the world temporally or chronologically;

economists and political scientistslook at it structurally, but we

geographers look at it spatially.”

-Harm de Blji, Why GeographyMatters More Than Ever, 2012

The “Why of Where” - an Introduction to Human Geography

Developing a Spatial Perspective

Why do you think that there is often such chaos and congestion at self-serve

gas stations?

Describe

• Where is this store located?• What does it tell you about this neigborhood?

The Spatial Perspective

• Focuses on where something occurs

• Key geographic questions:–Where is it?–Why is it there?

• Examines how human activities are organized in space and how they relate to the natural environment

Developing a Spatial

Perspective

“Association Among Phenomena in Places….”

Or…why things are where they are, and how they relate to other things…

•Discussion (Spatial Perspective)1.Why do you think most pizza places have Chinese take-out places in the same area?2.Why are certain shopping malls located on bus routes, while others are not?3.Living in New Jersey, why won’t we see many presidential campaign ads?4.Why were many Chinese baby girls adopted by American (and typically white) families?

Spatial perspective

• Whole Foods in New Jersey

• Starbucks vs. Dunkin in NJ

Yali’s Question

• What’s the answer?

• How can it be answered from a spatial perspective?

Basic Geographic

Terms

Two Types of GeographyPhysical Geography: •Where and why natural forces occur as they do

– climates, landforms, types of vegetation, etc.

•Focus on environmental dynamics

Human Geography: •Where and why human activities are located where they are

– religions, cities, businesses, governments, etc.

•Focus on social dynamics

Space– The physical gap

or interval between two objects

– Spatial distribution•How people,

things, and activities are laid out, organized, and arranged on earth

Do Now

• Our density has been reduced from 29 to 26 (as of today).

• What effect does that have on our dispersion/concentration?

3 Main Properties of Spatial Distribution

• Density– How often something occurs in a given

space

• Dispersion / concentration– How spread out something is

• Concentrated/clustered = close together• Dispersed/scattered = spread out

• Pattern– Design

Density-In A we see 6 houses on 1 acre of land. And in B we see 12 houses per acre

Concentration-in A we see the houses dispersed and in B we see them clustered.

Pattern-in A the houses are in a single linear arrangement, in B the arrangement is irregular.

Types of Pattern:

(a) Linear Patterns typically depict houses along a street or towns along a railroad

(b) Centralized Patterns typically involve items concentrated around a single node. Ex: Center City with surrounding suburbs

(c) Random Pattern An unstructured, irregular distribution

The changing distribution of North American baseball teams illustrates the difference between density and concentration.

The Five Themes of Geography

THE FIVE THEMES OF THE FIVE THEMES OF GEOGRAPHYGEOGRAPHY

•LocationLocation•PlacePlace•Human-Environment Human-Environment

InteractionInteraction•MovementMovement•RegionsRegions

LOCATIONLOCATIONWhere is it?Where is it?

• Absolute Absolute LocationLocation– A latitude and A latitude and

longitude (global longitude (global location) or a street location) or a street address (local address (local location).location).

– Paris France is 48Paris France is 48o o

North Latitude and 2North Latitude and 2oo East Longitude.East Longitude.

– The White House is The White House is located at 1600 located at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Pennsylvania Ave.

• Relative Relative LocationLocation– Described by Described by

landmarks, time, landmarks, time, direction or direction or distance. From one distance. From one place to another.place to another.

– Go 1 mile west on Go 1 mile west on main street and main street and turn left for 1 turn left for 1 block.block.

You

are

Her

e

PLACEPLACEWhat is it like there?What is it like there?

• Human Human CharacteristicsCharacteristics

• What are the main What are the main languages, languages, customs, and customs, and beliefs.beliefs.

• How many people How many people live, work, and live, work, and visit a place.visit a place.

• Physical Physical CharacteristicsCharacteristics

• Landforms Landforms (mountains, rivers, (mountains, rivers, etc.), climate, etc.), climate, vegetation, vegetation, wildlife, soil, etc.wildlife, soil, etc.

What’s the difference What’s the difference between between placeplace and and

spacespace??• A place is a pointA place is a point• A space is an areaA space is an area

– Usually demarcated in some wayUsually demarcated in some way

HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT HUMAN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTIONINTERACTION

How do humans and the How do humans and the environment affect each other?environment affect each other?

– We depend on itWe depend on it• People depend on the Tennessee River for water People depend on the Tennessee River for water

and transportationand transportation

– We modify itWe modify it• People modify our environment by People modify our environment by

heating and cooling buildings for comfortheating and cooling buildings for comfort

– We adapt to itWe adapt to it• We adapt to the environment by wearing We adapt to the environment by wearing

clothing suitable for summer (shorts) and clothing suitable for summer (shorts) and winter (coats), rain and shinewinter (coats), rain and shine

MOVEMENTMOVEMENTHow are people, goods, ideas moved How are people, goods, ideas moved from place to place?from place to place?

– Human MovementHuman Movement• Trucks, Trains, PlanesTrucks, Trains, Planes

– Information MovementInformation Movement• Phones, computer (email), mailPhones, computer (email), mail

– Idea MovementIdea Movement• How do fads move from place to place? How do fads move from place to place?

TV, Radio, MagazinesTV, Radio, Magazines

MOVEMENT

• Spatial interaction Spatial interaction = = interconnectedness of placesinterconnectedness of places

• Depends on:Depends on:– DistanceDistance– AccessibilityAccessibility– ConnectivityConnectivity

REGIONSREGIONSWhat do locations have in What do locations have in

common?common?• A way of subdividing space into A way of subdividing space into

categorizable geographic unitscategorizable geographic units• 3 types of regions: formal, functional, 3 types of regions: formal, functional,

perceptualperceptual

Remembering the 5 Remembering the 5 themesthemes

• If you can’t remembering what If you can’t remembering what they are just ask MR. HELP!they are just ask MR. HELP!•MM – Movement – Movement•RR – Regions – Regions•HEHE – Human Environment – Human Environment interactioninteraction

•LL – Location – Location•PP - Place - Place

LandscapeLandscape

• How physical, human, and symbolic How physical, human, and symbolic elements come together in a placeelements come together in a place– Theme of Theme of placeplace

• Human activity changes natural Human activity changes natural landscapes into landscapes into cultural landscapescultural landscapes– Theme of Theme of human-environment interactionhuman-environment interaction

• Can provide visual cultural historyCan provide visual cultural history• Reflect identityReflect identity

Philippine Rice Terraces