Showing papers in "The Professional Geographer in 1985"
TL;DR: A computer algorithm is presented which can handle more realistic descriptions of polygon boundaries than previous algorithms and manual methods, thus enhancing visual recognition.
Abstract: Continuous area cartograms distort planimetric maps to produce a desired set of areas while preserving the topology of the original map. We present a computer algorithm which achieves the result iteratively with high accuracy. The approach uses a model of forces exerted from each polygon centroid, acting on coordinates in inverse proportion to distance. This algorithm can handle more realistic descriptions of polygon boundaries than previous algorithms and manual methods, thus enhancing visual recognition.
140 citations
TL;DR: A diffused but philosophically sophisticated social movement, emphasizing the importance of the sense of place and a locally responsible stewardship of Nature, has been emerging in recent years in various parts of North America as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: A diffused but philosophically sophisticated social movement, emphasizing the importance of the sense of place and a locally responsible stewardship of Nature, has been emerging in recent years in various parts of North America. Whether “bioregionalism”is a new way of thinking about our place on Earth and our relationship to it, as some would believe, or simply the ecologic perspective familiar to geographers and environmentalists, romanticized and dressed in a new vocabulary, it deserves our attention for its adherents are kindred souls.
47 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors explored the extent and impact of fear of crime in recreational settings and found that people who felt unsafe in the park alone tended to report avoidance behavior and that females were more likely than males to report both fear and avoidance.
Abstract: While recent research provides a general model of the causes and consequences of fear of crime, little is known about how the relationships among these model components may vary from one setting to another. Garofalo's fear of crime model is used to explore the extent and impact of fear of crime in recreational settings. Two hundred sixty-eight visitors to three Midwestern district level parks were interviewed on-site using a structured questionnaire. Results generally support the model and demonstrate a link between perception and behavior related to fear of crime. Respondents who felt unsafe in the park alone also tended to report avoidance behavior. Females were more likely than males to report both fear and avoidance. Direct experience with park crime and incivility, perceptions of other park visitors, and familiarity with the park were not strongly associated with either feelings of safety or reported avoidance.
47 citations
Abstract: Recent foreign direct investment in the U.S. has undergone changes in its geographical location. Previous investment was mostly concentrated in the traditional industrial heartland of the Northeast and Midwest. Now there is a distinct drift to the Sunbelt and Pacific states. This reorientation is occurring faster than for manufacturing as a whole. A combination of regional competition and industrial-mix effects together with the changing national origins of foreign direct investment account for a large share of these changes.
35 citations
TL;DR: The International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) is used for a comparative study on the transformation into service economies of the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan and West Germany.
Abstract: Of the several classifications of services, each emphasizes different characteristics. The International Standard Industrial Classification (ISIC) is used for a comparative study on the transformation into service economies of the U.S., Canada, Great Britain, France, West Germany, Italy and Japan. Service economies are defined as national economies in which employment in services surpassed that in manufacturing. The pace of the evolution of service economies has been rapid with North America leading, followed in order by Great Britain, France, Italy, Japan and West Germany. Service economies have important implications for urban growth, intercity competition, and international trade.
32 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the location quotient and the coefficient of localization are applied to data on Adult Services, Children's Services and psychiatric group homes (residential care facilities) in Metropolitan Toronto.
Abstract: This paper contributes to the ongoing debate on the concentration of social service facilities within North American cities. The location quotient and the coefficient of localization are applied to data on Adult Services, Children's Services and psychiatric group homes (residential care facilities) in Metropolitan Toronto. Results demonstrate a high degree of localization in all three categories, particularly the psychiatric, and could be used in the formulation of placement policies to relieve certain areas of the inner city of the social and economic pressures created by group home concentration.
31 citations
TL;DR: Citation information is discussed as a means for ranking the research and publication visibility of eleven graduate programs in geography and it is suggested that the ranks produced by this objective method correspond better to the peer-based ranks of the 1982 NRC survey of graduate programs.
Abstract: Citation information is discussed as a means for ranking the research and publication visibility of eleven graduate programs in geography. It is suggested that the ranks produced by this objective method correspond better to the peer-based ranks of the 1982 NRC survey of graduate programs than those derived from publication counts. Citation information also provides a means of evaluating the differences between programs' inter- and intradisciplinary visibility.
28 citations
TL;DR: The need to protect high quality agricultural land through public policies and programs at various levels of government has been debated in the U.S. for at least three decades as discussed by the authors and the current status of the land conversion issue has been impeded by confusion of objectives, semantic problems, unreliability of land conversion data, and excess capacity in the American farm economy.
Abstract: The need to protect high quality agricultural land through public policies and programs at various levels of government has been debated in the U.S. for at least three decades. This article reviews the evolution of the debate before 1979, the ill-fated attempt of the National Agricultural Lands Study (NALS) (1979–1981) to resolve the debate, and the current status of the land conversion issue. Articulation of the issue has been impeded by confusion of objectives, semantic problems, unreliability of land conversion data, and excess capacity in the American farm economy. Land conversion estimates published in 1977 by the Soil Conservation Service and relied upon by NALS have proven to be misleading in light of the 1982 National Resources Inventory. State and local programs to discourage farmland conversion are justifiable in terms of land use planning objectives, maintenance of a viable local farm economy, and avoidance of undue reliance upon marginal lands requiring costly technical inputs.
25 citations
TL;DR: For all twelve states, there was a positive association between age of the hospitals and admission rates, which also decreased with increasing residential distance, and there was strong distance decay in the other states examined.
Abstract: Edward Jarvis in 1850 first demonstrated that admission rates to mental hospitals decrease with increasing residential distance, a relationship known today as “Jarvis's Law.” His original data are presented, mapped, and examined by regression analysis to better understand spatial and temporal patterns of mid-19th century mental hospital utilization. Distance substantially affected admission rates to a radius of about 60 miles from the institution in Massachusetts; and there was strong distance decay in the other states examined. For all twelve states, there was a positive association between age of the hospitals and admission rates, which also decreased with increasing residential distance.
24 citations
TL;DR: The applicability of metropolitan-derived explanations of gender differences in worktrip lengths was examined based on a sample of 435 university employees in the non-metropolitan town of Blacksburg, VA as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: The applicability of metropolitan-derived explanations of gender differences in worktrip lengths is examined based on a sample of 435 university employees in the nonmetropolitan town of Blacksburg, VA. Women's worktrips are found to be longer than men's in contrast to metropolitan findings. This pattern results from the interaction of spatial structures of housing and employment with women's lower incomes, gender segregation of employment, and the tendency for married women to find jobs after their residence is established. Upward trends in female labor force participation rates and in nonmetropolitan growth require continued analysis of their joint impact on women's spatial behavior.
24 citations
TL;DR: In this article, T-mode factor analysis traces the emergence of a contemporary Conservative Normal Vote during the past several presidential elections and the manifestation of this cleavage in the election of 1984, showing the geographical core of his electoral strength to be in the Interior West, non-ethnic areas of the South, and suburbs across the nation.
Abstract: County scale cartographic analysis of Ronald Reagan's reelection landslide of 1984 shows the geographical core of his electoral strength to be in the Interior West, non-ethnic areas of the South, and suburbs across the nation. Examination of spatio-temporal variations using factor analysis at a state scale shows this to be a continuation and reinforcement of recent electoral-geographical cleavages. T-mode factor analysis traces the emergence of a contemporary Conservative Normal Vote during the past several presidential elections and the manifestation of this cleavage in the election of 1984.
TL;DR: Park awareness is related to park characteristics (age and degree of development of the park), population characteristics (race, age, length of residence, recreation participation), and distance as mentioned in this paper.
Abstract: Variables related to urban park awareness are identified and methods for relaxing assumptions of perfect information in park use models are discussed. Park awareness is related to park characteristics (age and degree of development of the park), population characteristics (race, age, length of residence, recreation participation), and distance. Park attributes are stronger predictors of both park awareness and use than is distance. These findings parallel similar research on the cognitive aspects of shopping decisions.
TL;DR: In this article, age profiles of geographers having varying topical and areal subfields are compiled using the Guide to Graduate Departments of Geography in the United States and Canada, 1983-1984 and the 1982 AAG Directory.
Abstract: Age profiles of geographers having varying topical and areal subfields are compiled using the Guide to Graduate Departments of Geography in the United States and Canada, 1983–1984 and the 1982 AAG Directory. Major retirement trends for the next 10 to 20 years suggest that replacement of faculty may raise key appointment issues and priorities that may significantly change the nature of academic geography.
TL;DR: In this article, a test with experienced photointerpreters revealed that interpretation accuracy was significantly higher when using Seasat radar images than when using only conventional sources, which may complement aerial photographs for compiling maps of wetland.
Abstract: Distinguishing forested wetland from dry forest using aerial photographs is handicapped because photographs often do not reveal the presence of water below tree canopies. Radar images obtained by the Seasat satellite reveal forested wetland as highly reflective patterns on the coastal plain between Maryland and Florida. Seasat radar images may complement aerial photographs for compiling maps of wetland. A test with experienced photointerpreters revealed that interpretation accuracy was significantly higher when using Seasat radar images than when using only conventional sources.
TL;DR: In this paper, eight-year-old Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plots located in South Carolina were evaluated using high resolution aircraft multispectral scanner data to determine if biomass could be accurately measured.
Abstract: Eight-year-old Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) plots located in South Carolina were evaluated using high resolution aircraft multispectral scanner data to determine if biomass could be accurately measured. Sixteen pine plots located on both sandy and clay soils were treated with 0, 180, or 360 kg. (approximately 0, 400, or 800 lb.) of nitrogen per plot. Indices of biomass from remote sensing data were significantly correlated with in situ biomass measurements made in each plot. A ratio of infrared (.9–1.1 μm) and red (.65–.70 μm) channels yielded the best correlation. The indices were not sensitive to differences in soil type (sandy or clay).
TL;DR: In this article, the relationship between reflectance and land cover composition was examined using the Transformed Vegetation Index (TVI) and the ratio of Landsat MSS6/MSS5, which exhibit the highest correlation with vegetation density.
Abstract: Relationships between Landsat reflectance indexes that extract the individual component contributions of vegetation and the soil background and the composition of a semiarid grassland-shrub environment are examined. The results indicate that two reflectance indexes, the Transformed Vegetation Index (TVI) and the ratio of Landsat MSS6/MSS5, exhibit the highest correlation with vegetation density. The ratio of MSS6/MSS4, the ratio of MSS5/MSS4, and the MSS6 soil background reflectance component (Rgg6) emerge as the best indexes to discriminate between semiarid landscape units. The relationships between reflectance and land cover composition suggest that Landsat reflectance may be useful to monitor temporal and spatial changes in the condition of semiarid vegetation.
TL;DR: The top five highest ranked journals were Science, Canadian Geographer, Progress in Human Geography, Geographical Journal, and Transactions of the IBG when familiarity and quality were considered together as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: Questionnaires sent to 500 geographers randomly selected from U.S. graduate departments solicited opinions on the quality of scholarship of articles in 65 journals: 33 foreign geography journals and 32 non-geography journals. The five highest ranked were Science, Geological Society Bulletin, Journal of Atmospheric Sciences, Journal of Sedimentary Petrology, and Journal of Ecology. When familiarity and quality were considered together, the top five were Science, Canadian Geographer, Progress in Human Geography, Geographical Journal, and Transactions of the IBG. Specialty of respondent proved most significant in explaining ranking variations.
TL;DR: In this paper, a log-linear analysis of survey responses from 364 residents of a Minneapolis neighborhood explores the relationship of status and activism to four measures of neighborhood identity: cognition, evaluation, attachment and activities, finding that high status activists stand apart from all other residents in showing the greatest awareness of, and strongest sense of attachment to, their neighborhood.
Abstract: Is social status or participation in neighborhood affairs a more important determinant of one's sense of identity with the local neighborhood? Log-linear analysis of survey responses from 364 residents of a Minneapolis neighborhood explores the relationship of status and activism to four measures of neighborhood identity: cognition, evaluation, attachment and activities. The results indicate that while identity is jointly dependent on both variables, activism exerts a stronger influence. High-status activists stand apart from all other residents in showing the greatest awareness of, and strongest sense of attachment to, their neighborhood.
TL;DR: Recreational geography has taken its place as a major subdivision within the discipline as mentioned in this paper, supported by historical evidence, recognition by professional organizations, manuscripts published in geography and interdisciplinary journals, papers presented at AAG meetings, and the application of research findings to practical problems.
Abstract: Recreational geography has taken its place as a major subdivision within the discipline. This generalization is supported by historical evidence, recognition by professional organizations, manuscripts published in geography and interdisciplinary journals, papers presented at AAG meetings, and the application of research findings to practical problems. Although recreational geography has reached a quantitative maturity based on volume, it has not attained a qualitative state of development founded on conceptual or theoretical advances. Finally, the subdiscipline is beset by many of the same problems that plague the mother discipline: lack of methodological and philosophical consensus, a general paradigm, and a strong, positive public image.
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TL;DR: In this article, the macro-level activity spaces of residents in Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Denver, Kansas City, and San Francisco differ significantly in areal extent, compactness and shape.
Abstract: The macro-level activity spaces of residents in Atlanta, Boston, Cleveland, Denver, Kansas City, and San Francisco differ significantly in areal extent, compactness and shape. They fail to conform closely with the pattern expected based on gravity formulations of distance to and size of potential destinations. Activity space is defined as the percentage of respondents in each city who have visited thirty other metro areas within a decade. Maps of residuals from regression indicate that the major visitation flows from each city are neither random nor concentric but spatially concentrated and easily identified. Macro-level activity spaces may be useful in understanding interregional migration flow bias.
TL;DR: In this article, a case study of Chilean ports examines their potential for increasing containerized traffic and suggests that Chile should support the development of three regional port subsystems to accommodate containerization.
Abstract: Port commodity specialization is primarily influenced by economic functions, but also by unique geographic considerations. A port system's evolution is dependent upon a complex mix of both physical and human factors. A case study of Chilean ports examines their potential for increasing containerized traffic. By applying indices of port commodity specialization and national commodity specialization to maritime transport data, a series of working hypotheses pertinent to specialization is tested. Suggestions are made for developing a port system to accommodate containerization. The results indicate that Chile should support the development of three regional port subsystems.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors present a survey of the geographies of South Africa in terms of geography in south-east Africa, focusing on South Africa's geography in South America.
Abstract: (1985). GEOGRAPHY IN SOUTH AFRICA. The Professional Geographer: Vol. 37, No. 4, pp. 479-482.
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TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a survey of geographies in Saudi Arabia, focusing on the geographies of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and its relations with Iran, and discuss:
Abstract: (1985). GEOGRAPHY IN SAUDI ARABIA. The Professional Geographer: Vol. 37, No. 2, pp. 216-218.
TL;DR: In this paper, a field examination of 40 upstate New York villages reveals their commercial structure consists of six common elements: CBDs, railroad-oriented districts, early automobile expansion zones, mixed use areas, outlying commercial strips, and highway commercial intersections.
Abstract: Field examination of 40 upstate New York villages reveals their commercial structure consists of six common elements: CBDs, railroad-oriented districts, early automobile expansion zones, mixed use areas, outlying commercial strips, and highway commercial intersections. The economic health of CBDs is quantified by a “downtown vitality index.”Variation in the observed vitality of downtowns may be attributed to site and situation factors, including downtown centrality with respect to the surrounding population, route layout, and regional location of the community. Downtowns are not being abandoned so much as changing their function.
TL;DR: In this paper, a two-function discriminant analysis using 17 agricultural, socioeconomic, and political-ideological variables correctly predicts the fourfold classification of 88 percent of the counties in California.
Abstract: County-level policies and programs to conserve farmland in California are examined through discriminant analysis. Based on 1981 state planning data, four degrees of farmland protection effort are established. A two-function discriminant analysis using 17 agricultural, socioeconomic, and political-ideological variables correctly predicts the fourfold classification of 88 percent of the counties. The propensity to enact protective actions is associated with the intensity of agricultural development, local government spending and taxing practices, demographic characteristics, ideological and political party voting traditions.
TL;DR: In this article, year-month mean 500mb contour positions are used to estimate Northern Hemisphere temperature variations for 1946-1980, and the method is capable of giving early evidence of climatic change.
Abstract: Year-month mean 500mb contour positions are used to estimate Northern Hemisphere temperature variations for 1946–1980. The method is capable of giving early evidence of climatic change. Global application awaits accumulation of similar data from the Southern Hemisphere. Results are compatible with those obtained using surface data.
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