Lecture 1 - Geography Urban Geography PDF

School of Biology and Environmental Sciences Mbombela Campus Urban Geography Objectives of the lecture The objectives of this lecture are to introduce the terms as follows: Geography; Urban geography; Spatial science. Lecture outcome...

School of Biology and Environmental Sciences Mbombela Campus Urban Geography Objectives of the lecture The objectives of this lecture are to introduce the terms as follows: Geography; Urban geography; Spatial science. Lecture outcomes You are expected at the end of this lecture to be able: To explain the terms listed below: Geography; Urban geography; Spatial science. To apply spatial science to other aspects of urban areas. Geography As a start, we have come across the term “geography” so many times. We embrace geography daily, but without realising that we do! What is geography? How do you describe geography? Geography is the study of earths features, earths atmosphere, human activities and the human interactions with the earth. Geography To explain this further, consider the following examples: Earths features (mountains, rivers, rock formations, volcanoes, caves); Earths atmosphere (floods, rainfall patterns, tornadoes, drought); Human activities (mining, farming, manufacturing and production, services, urban development); and Human interactions (resource management, politics, economics). Together, the above four categories of studies make up “geography”, and the space we live in. Urban geography As part of the objectives of this module, the focus on urban geography (which is a sub-discipline of geography). What is urban geography? How do you describe urban geography? Urban geography is the study of cities and the processes that take place within the city space. Think about my Lego city I introduced you to… where I placed my buildings, what purpose those buildings perform, how the trees and landscaping affect the surroundings. As geographers, we study various aspects of life within an urban setting (a city or town) or built environment, or how raw materials are processed, or how infrastructure is developed, or how housing patterns / trends, or even the transportation networks and how it functions within a city or town. The study of urban geography helps us understand the vast complexities and interactions that exist within the city. Furthermore, one can understand the similarities (or differences) of spaces within our cities (Pacione, 2009). All cities display elements of similarity between them: residential areas, economic and commercial Urban geography So why is urban geography so important to you and I? Researchers are projecting that almost 70% of people will be living in cities (urbanised areas) by 2050 (that’s almost two-thirds of the world population living in cities!) So what? Why is that prediction important? That means people from rural areas will be migrating to cities (for employment, for access to better services, for access to basic health care, to life a more modern lifestyle, to have access to better fashionable items, etc). Does this migration not affect how a city operates? – we cover more on this in later lectures. This migratory patterns affect how cities and urban spaces (or settlements) function. This solidifies what I said: urban geography is the study of cities and the processes that take place in that city settlement. Some researchers argue that it’s a science – a spatial science. Spatial science Let’s analyse what spatial science is: Spatial science is the measurement of physical aspects of the earth (some examples on next slide) Spatial science is divided into four categories: Spatial aspects (where earths features are); Spatial relations (how features relate to each other – distances, direction, size, area, land use); Spatial organisation (how these features are arranged); and Spatial processes (the impact / actions upon these features). Let us examine one example: ATM’s in Mbombela… Is an ATM a physical aspect of the earth? Spatial science Spatial aspects (where earths features are): Why are these concentrated in this part of the town? Spatial relations (how features relate to each other – distances, direction, size, area, land use): If I worked at Old Mutual and I wanted to draw cash for my rental. and I banked with FNB, how far do I have to walk at lunch time to get the rental money? (relationship is distance between my OM office and the FNB ATM). Spatial organisation (how these features are arranged): Are these ATM’s concentrated around businesses? What type of businesses? Spatial processes (the impact / actions upon these Map of ATM’s in Mbombela town features): area Do street vendors sell their merchandise close to these Source: Google Maps, 2021 ATM’s? Spatial science Spatial aspects (where earths features are): Situated in the area known as Ring of Fire on the Pacific Ocean Spatial relations (how features relate to each other – distances, direction, size, area, land use): How far apart is volcano from the next? Or what type of volcano is it? Or are there the same types of volcanoes close by? Spatial organisation (how these features are arranged): What pattern emerges from the arrangement along this ring? Notice most are located in at the junction of different tectonic plates Spatial processes (the impact / actions upon these features): Urban geography – revision In this lecture, we covered the broader terms of: Geography; Urban geography; and Spatial sciences. As a reassurance to you, these are concepts that are regarded as the building blocks of urban geography. What we covered in this session is important as they will be referred to repeatedly in your next few lessons – please do remember these terms, definitions and terminology. Urban geography – think Lego! Remember my Lego city layout: Apply your mind to Spatial aspects (where my buildings are); Spatial relations (how features in the city relate to each other – functions of a building in relation to another – ie a diner next to a cinema, which is opposite a bus stop, which has a plant feature next to it); Spatial organisation (how these features of the city are arranged – city hall close to the police station?); and Spatial processes (the impact / actions upon these features – if I placed my China Town area closer to the shopping mall, what impact will that have on foot traffic in the mall, or traffic because of the lack of parking). References / recommended reading Pacione, M., 2009. Urban Geography: A global perspective, 3 rd ed. Routledge, London. Jenkins, M. & Tallman, S., 2010. [Online]. Available at: The Shifting Geography of Competitive Advantage: Clusters, Networks and Firms. https://scholarship.richmond.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1001&context=management-faculty-publicati ons. (Accessed 20210710) Dutton, J.A., 2021. [Online]. Available at: Primary Civilizations , https://www.e-education.psu.edu/matse81/node/2079 (Accessed 2021,07,08) Next lecture topic For the next lecture, we will cover the broader topics as follows: What a city is; How did cities originate; Why cities developed where they did; and Evolution of cities.