GIEL 1.1-1.4, 2.1, 3.1, 3.2 Notes PDF

# Geography ## What to take note in a mental map - Include natural and human elements - Labels and annotation - Description - Details: legend, direction, scale, title, amenities etc. ## Why? - Gain insights (individual) ## GI (fieldwork) ### Geog - SAQ - **Main/key point**: Example: overall...

# Geography ## What to take note in a mental map - Include natural and human elements - Labels and annotation - Description - Details: legend, direction, scale, title, amenities etc. ## Why? - Gain insights (individual) ## GI (fieldwork) ### Geog - SAQ - **Main/key point**: Example: overall trend/pattern, anomaly - **Additional points description/explanation**: + Example ### DRQ - **Point**: ### LDQ/OEQ ## GIEL Topic 1-1 Relationship between people & nature in neighbourhoods ### How human can benefit from nature in neighborhoods 1. **Provides essentials**: like air & water for humans to survive 2. **Continuous food supplies** 3. **Space for recreation** - Allows for bonding between family & friends - Maintain physical + mental wellbeing - E.g. Nparks: Therapeutic Gardens ### How nature can benefit from humans 1. **People may tend to the health of nature areas sustainably** 2. **Individuals can encourage others to enjoy nature** 3. **It does not cause irreversible damage by Nparks** - Green Wave Campaign held by NParks - Mutual relationship between nature & people **Mutually benefitting:** - Green spaces enrich urban wildlife to enhance health and mental wellbeing - Human activities can enhance bio-diversity - Reforestation - People gain enjoyment - Health of environment, shelter & habitat for wildlife provided ### Benefits **Nature - People** - Lowering air temperature - Presence of vegetation: shade & reduced amount of sunlight that reaches surface - Cool air through evapotranspiration - Removal of pollutants - Photosynthesis: absorbs $CO_2$ & other air pollutants; releases oxygen - Small plants trap suspended material - washed to ground when it rains. - Improve water quality - Small particles plants trap suspended material; absorb excess nutrients - Provision of recreation space - Numerous outdoor activities - Health & wellbeing benefits - Reduces severity & occurrence of health conditions **People - Nature (Promoting Importance of Protection)** 1. Collectively raising awareness 2. Encourage positive behaviour that does not damage nature: - NParks Citizen Science Initiative - Dragonfly Watch 3. Organize/ Participate in conservation efforts - Remove pollutants from environment - Help restore natural habitats - Provide healthy environment for species to thrive - Eg. Waterways Watch Society. ### Disadvantages **People - Nature** 1. Soil erosion & damaging vegetation: - Hike along non-designated trails in nature areas. - Soil compaction: prevents rainwater from infiltrating the surface - Higher surface runoff, soil erosion: washes soil particles away - It is damaging vegetation affecting their growth - E.g. Bukit Timah Nature Reserve. 2. Worsening pollution & disturbing wildlife: - Littering: - Mistake cut by metal cans / entangled with plastic containers & bags - Animals could eat food: animal hurt & suffer - May cause death of animal - Feeding wildlife - It changes habits & behaviour of wild life - Human-wildlife conflict: can increase when animals associate food with people ## Nature & People ### Reason for increase in human-animal encounters - Urban expansion - Natural habitats shrinking - Wildlife venture out of nature areas for food/shelter - Increase in outdoor recreation - People spending more time in nature areas - Govt's greening efforts - Aims to bring nature back into the city 1. More frequent attacks may provoke them - People who may not know how to deal with them 2. Animals confused & fearful: increase in likelihood of attack when triggered/fearful 3. Environmental protection may limit development 4. Some people may feel that protection of nature is done at the expense of their needs. E.g. Cross Island MRT ## 1.2 Sense of Place in Neighbourhoods ### Definition - When people associate meanings & memories with location - Reflects relationship people have with the place - Helps to build identity - Derived from experiences with nature & built environments & interactions with others - Highly personal & subjective - Giving a place meaning ### How: 1. Repeated encounters with objects and people 2. Significant memorable events recalling memories & meaning of them 3. Landmarks: highly visible: easily identifiable gathering places - Recall characters & events - Serve historical/ symbolic purposes - Easy to remember 4. Truss bridges built in 1932 - May have positive/negative memories 5. May be a response of tragedy, preserve memories of loved ones: - Eg. Anfield Memorial 6. Interactions with people everyday places - Develop attachment ### How is it represented? - Through different forms & types of media - E.g. texts, audio, graphics, still/moving images, internet-based media shared through: print, media, broadcast media - E.g. #Sgmemory on Instagram, organizations. ### How does these representations enhance/ contradict? - **Representations that agree** vs **Media content that challenges** our sense of place: - Add new layers of meaning - Develop greater appreciation - Enhances attachment - E.g. Sembawang Beaulieu House - Respond defensively - Perceiving them as distortions/ untruths - Dismissing - E.g. Negative portrayal of Yishun ## 1.3 Relationship between locations in a neighbourhood ### Regions - Vary in size - Can be classified based on: 1. **Environmental characteristics:** - Nature region - Eg. a nature park in Bukit Batok, Little Guilin 2. **Human characteristics:** - Commercial/ Residential - Many industrial buildings - Most homes are located - Eg. Jurong 3. **Geographic location**: - Northern/ Southern/ Western/ Eastern - Eg. Residential in Bukit Batok/ Western: - Public housing/ apartment blocks - Eastern: Mostly private landed housing & condos. 4. **Sphere of influence of services, events and objects on location:** - Boundaries are where the effects are largely absent - Eg. Areas that a Town Council services: - Responsible for common areas & carry out work ## Spatial Patterns - Non-random arrangements that are recognizable - Shapes, clusters, geometry, repeated occurrence at regular intervals: - E.g. Circle Line industries clustered in Tuas & Pioneer - Public bus stops located at regular intervals (about 400 m) - Services, events, objects are non-randomly arranged ### Reasons associated with locations: - Easily identified - Allows us to understand the world around us ### Spatial Associations - Tendency of a pair of services - Suggest connections - E.g. Fitness centres near studio: HDB blocks & elderly - Enhance everyday living - E.g. Train stations & bus interchanges: plan trips to decrease travel time ## 1.4 Organization of Neighborhoods ### Spatial Scale: Extent of an area in Singapore - Scale: Different hierarchies: e.g. Global, regional, local - Global areas: (Biggest) Regions, countries, provinces, district (smallest) - Nested area: Smaller area within larger area - Can provide us with different perspectives ### Spatial Scales in Singapore - More than 20 towns across the island - Town centre for concentration of activities: - Commercial & social hub - For residents living in its neighbourhood - Some may have integrated transport hubs - Train stations & bus interchanges near shopping malls - Attract visitors from other towns: visit shopping malls - Attract business to locate their offices in it: makes sense for large companies - Take advantage of lower costs & reduce travelling time for workers - Eg. Bishan Bus Interchange - Junction - Large gathering places for community activities (social) - Design can let us understand S.G.'s goals: reduce carbon emissions - Eg. Tengah underground road: enhance liveability ## Spatial Hierarchies in S.G - Nested areas of different sizes (start from 1 unit) - Residential Unit -> Precinct -> Neighbourhood -> Town | Residential Unit | Precinct | Neighbourhood | Town | | ------------ | -------- | -------------- | ---- | | | Many blocks | | Town centre + Industrial (if applicable) | ### Precinct - Between 400 and 800 residential units - Facilities within close proximity - Playgrounds, community gardens, covered linkways - Near each other: enhance convenience & accessibility - Spread out facilities - Eg: Bus stops: regular intervals (near every apartment block): ensure easy access ### Neighborhood & Town - Neighborhood: between 4000 & 6000 residential units - Consists of few precincts - Town: - Few neighborhoods - Neighborhoods found surrounding town centre. - Allows all residents to travel conveniently to and from town centre - Has wide range of facilities and features - Extensive roads, cycling & pedestrian network - Enables residents to travel easily. - Some neighborhoods integrated facilities that bring together facilities: - E.g. Bukit Panjang Bus Interchange ### Town Planning in SG 1. Serves residents and provides for nature at distinct levels - Land (each town allocated for housing, industrial & commercial development) - Economical growth - Remaining land for road, schools, parks & other facilities 2. Facilities allow each town to be self-sufficient & provide employment opportunities - Often complement each other. - E.g. Tengah's "forest town" - Support rich biodiversity - Revolve around nature & community 3. Creates connections and synergies across precincts, neighborhoods & towns to help achieve sustainability - Long-term plans seek to achieve national by optimising scarce land resources - To cater to needs of various generations - E.g. URA review long-term plans every 10 years - Since S.G is an independent state, it needs to: - Accommodate other uses (not usually in cities) - Consider planning for military purposes, facilities, waste treatment plants, power stations, seaports, airports - Meet various needs - E.g. Senoko Waste-to-Energy plant ## 2. ### Sustainable Urban Neighborhoods - **Development:** economic, social, political; improve standard of living - Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita - Life Expectancy - Adult literacy rate - **Sustainable development:** meet the needs of the population by increasing standard of living for future generation - **Overfocus on one dimension may lead to other dimensions overlooked** - **Strive for all dimensions to coexist and will differ** - **Approaches to the development can and will differ** - **Does not need to have greatest emphasis** - **Some may be balanced** - **UN introduced Sustainable Development Goal** 1. **Economic sustainability:** - Makes sure neighborhood has a high population density - Local businesses can sustain themselves - Sufficient demand for goods & services - Employment opportunities. - Earn income, inc. standard of living: - Transport infrastructure costs are kept low 2. Buildings + objects are near each other - transportation costs low - Residents do NOT need to travel far - Transport infrastructure is located close to each other - Less need to develop transport infrastructure - E.g. Bus interchange connecting train stations. - No need to build bridged roads. 3. **Social sustainability:** - Ensure residents feel included & have a sense of shared identity - Having shared spaces: promote REGULAR social interactions - Neighborhood is small: - Discuss issues & find positive solutions - Builds resilience & positive relationships - Maintain culture: communication, mutual respect, understanding - Solved locally with enough communication structures ### How to protect environment: - SG's Residents' Network (RN) encouraged to join. - Ample protection for nature - Wildlife can thrive, human-wildlife can coexist. - Efforts should be made to protect existing native species & re-establish species - NParks Board implementation of species conservation, recovery programme - Provides adequate shelter & food - Wide variety of habitats - E.g. 44 Nature Ways in S.G 2. Facilities that support waste minimization & recycling - Place recycling facilities & infrastructures at convenient locations - Encourage residents to recycle - Can be encouraged through neighborhood-scale activities. - Make sure there is adequate waste to collect & recycle 3. Energy & water-efficient design approaches for buildings and landscapes: - Energy & water-efficient resources used to build & landscape urban neighborhoods - Smart-technology & eco-friendly features - E.g. Cool paint for HDB - Rainwater is used for block washing ## 3.1 Designing Fieldwork - Fieldwork: Systematic approach to investigate geographical phenomena + issues - Five stages: 1. Craft research questions & hypothesis: 2. Collection of data 3. Analyse data 4. Presentation of findings 5. Conclusion & evaluation. ### How to Craft - **Identify topic:** that OUTLINES the investigation. ### Research Question - A question that outlines the investigation: - Little research/relationships unknown - Inquisitive - Many conclusions - **Used as Evidencd** ### Hypothesis - Measurable statement (1/2 variables) - Research available / relationships certain - Predictive - Definite Conclusion ### Types of Data: - **Primary data:** Collected first-hand - E.g. Photographs + sketches, questionnaire surveys done - **Secondary data:**: Collected by someone else - E.g. Books, articles, journals, maps - **Quantitative data:** Measurable + quantified - E.g. Response from closed-ended questions - **Qualitative data:** Not easily measured + subjective - E.g. Opened open-ended questions, semi-structured interviews ### Sequence of Data Collection: - **Take note of difference:** | Qualitative | Quantitative | | ----------- | ----------- | |* Make observations (qualitative)*| *Verify observations (Quantitative)* | | *Identify patterns & trends*| *Examine patterns & trends* | ### Limitations: - **Data Collection**: How much can I collect? - **Time available:** When? How much time do I have? - **Access:** Which locations? - **Availability:** How to get required equipment? - **Manpower:** How many people? ### Risks - Falls, cuts, minor injuries - Wear proper footwear & clothing - Traffic accidents, collision - Take note of potential hazards - Take note of traffic & road safety - Avoid collection in the path ### 3.2 Collecting Primary Data - **Sampling:** Selecting a portion of the population to study & making generalizations - Necessary= not practical/ possible - **Sample size of 30 is required** to obtain info from the entire population. ### Sampling | Probablility Sampling | Non-probablility Sampling | | ----------- | ----------- | | **Randomly selected, NOT conscious decision** | **Non-randomly selected, using researcher's conscious decision** | | **Random number generator**| **Subjective (close friends/family)** | | **Remove bias from researcher's choice**| **Biased** | | **Greater chance of creating representative sample** | **Unlikely representative: hard to make generalisation** | | | **Representative sample not needed** | | | **E.g. Testing/Interview** | | | **When there is time limitation** | | Simple Random Sampling | Stratified Random Sampling| Convenience Sampling | | ----------- | ----------- | ----------- | | **Using random number generator** | **Select sample that has proportionate makeup to the population based on categories** | **Convienient sources of data** | | | **Quota sampling** | | | **Proportion proportionate makeup to population based on category, in order.** | ### Questionnaire Surveys - Collect quantitative data - Predefined responses: - Phrase/word/number - Easier to respond to (participants) - Easier to analyze & interpret - Examine patterns & trends easily ### 2. Rating Scales - Guide survey participants - Get opinions + wide range of option responses: - **Likert scale:** Two extreme opposing positions: - Based on scale of agreement / quality - **Frequency scales:** Based on the number of occurrences. - **Ranking scales:** Comparing items with one another. - Less than 10 items; participants would not have strong opinions about those ranked in the middle ### Mental Maps - Understand how people experience & think visually & spatially about their environment & interrelationships. - Free-form mental maps are more representative of perception & perceptions - Not easily geo-referenced.