Properties of Space: Geography

Properties of Space

• Space is the characteristics of the world.
• Space is an organizing system, a geometry, and a kind of absolute grid.
• Objects are located and events occur within space.
• Space dictates interaction patterns which includes trade, leisure, and information flow.
• Space plays a vital role in shaping human interactions at different scales, like local, regional, or global levels.
• Spatial patterns and trends are identified because of space.

Geographic Data and Spatial Concepts

• Geographic data gives insights into how spatial relationships impact social, economic, and environmental dynamics.
• Space is essential to understanding urban planning, land use, and resource management.
• Geographical variables can influence human behaviour and community development.

Distance and Interaction

• The farther away from each other, the less the interaction.
• Distance decay defines the decline in interaction with distance
• Interaction levels indicates influences from different points

Basic Principals for Spatial Interaction

• Complementarity means demand and supply of services between points; Point A providing a good needed at Point B.
• Intervening opportunity refers to how the journey from A to B continues until a closer point provides the same service.
• Transferability means that moving goods and services from point A to B defines the interaction between the two places.
• Transferability depends on costs versus benefits.
• When costs > benefits, there is no transferability.
• When costs < benefits, transferability occurs.

Descriptions of Spatial Interaction

• Connectivity signifies the degree of direct connection a node has in the transport network.
• Connectivity results from how well the nodes complement each other
• Agglomeration describes the pattern of nodes on the spatial region.
• Services are more efficiently available when clustered
• Accessibility is the ease of reaching a place.
• Areas are more accessible when they are highly connected.
• Absolute distance indicates distance measured in kilometers between two points.
• Relative distance indicates time and effort to travel between two points.
• Factors such as connectivity, wind, and road conditions affect relative distance.
• The shortest distance is impossible due to relief features or to exploit an intervening opportunity.

Hinterlands

• Each node serves an area, called a hinterland or an umland.
• The size of a hinterland hinges on the importance of the service provided by the node.
• High order services correlate to big hinterlands, and low order services has small hinterlands.
• Fewer high order service centers exist than low order service points in any geographical space.
• A hinterland is ideally concentric, but its shape can be altered by relief features and connectivity.

High and Low Order Goods and Services

• Goods and services obtained frequently can be classified as either high or low order.
• Classification is based on demand frequency and goods complexity.
• Groceries are low order goods, while vehicles are high order goods.
• Nurses and general practitioners offer low order health services.
• Surgeons offer high order health services.

High and Low Order Settlements

• Settlements are described based on available goods and services.
• Many settlements only provide low order services; a few settlements provide both low and high order services.
• Smaller settlements provide low order services and bigger ones provide high order services.
• There is traffic from low order settlements to obtain high order goods and services in the big settlements
• Volume of interactions between a settlement is determined by the level of services it provides

Factors Influencing Interaction

• Distance: Increased distance decreases interaction.
• Friction: All factors that deter interaction, like cost, time, and immigration requirements.
• Complementarity: What is offered to each other between two sources of interaction.
• Connectivity: Ease of access.
• Attractiveness: Destination relative to complementarity.

Comparing Cellphones and Telephones

• Cellphones are mobile versus the fixed telephone.
• Cellphones are high cost, telephones are cheap
• Cellphones have multiple services versus limited services for telephones
• Personal cellphone ownership vs communal telephone ownership.
• Cellphones are a fashion item, telephone is a utility Tool.

Conclusions

• Space can be concrete or relative.
• Described through nodes, lines, and regions.
• Space can be an absolute or relative reality.
• There is a difference between Absolute Distance and Relative Distance.
• There are fewer High order service nodes than low order service points.
• Spatial interaction is determined by complementarity, intervening opportunity, and transferability.
• Understanding spatial interaction is pertinent to business and service provision and planning.

Explore the fundamental properties of space, its role as an organizing system. Understand how space shapes human interactions at various scales and dictates interaction patterns such as trade and information flow. Learn how geographic data and spatial concepts influence urban planning, land use, and community development.