Showing papers in "The Professional Geographer in 2016"
TL;DR: The authors examines the dynamism of Chinese urban transformation, especially political economic changes vis-a-vis so-called neoliberalism, and spatial outcomes as diverse and contrasting spaces of formality and informality.
Abstract: Chinese cities are emerging in multiple senses: They have created new physical spaces to accommodate the fast urbanization of the country but have also developed new properties and characteristics along with urban transformation. The novelty created by emerging cities in China is not easily covered by Western urban theory. This article examines the dynamism of Chinese urban transformation, especially political economic changes vis-a-vis so-called neoliberalism, and spatial outcomes as diverse and contrasting spaces of formality and informality. Finally, this article speculates on implications for global urban studies.
94 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors review approaches to collecting both types of measurements, showing that innovative methods using geographic information systems (GIS), Internet-enabled surveys, and even social media could be useful complements to traditional qualitative methods for collecting streetscape measurements.
Abstract: Increasing interest in urban livability demands that geographers and planners more precisely define what constitutes a livable streetscape, a fundamental building block of urban places. Widespread examination of streetscape livability will require precise and efficient measurements of (1) physical characteristics at the spatial scale of individual streetscapes and (2) indicators of experiential quality based on revealed behavior or stated preference. This article reviews approaches to collecting both types of measurements, showing that innovative methods using geographic information systems (GIS), Internet-enabled surveys, and even social media could be useful complements to traditional qualitative methods for collecting streetscape measurements.
77 citations
TL;DR: The authors examined household-level characteristics that predict water insecurity in low-income rural and periurban communities on the Texas-Mexico border and found that immigration status of household members is a significant variable that contributes to household water insecurity.
Abstract: This article examines household-level characteristics that predict water insecurity in low-income rural and periurban communities on the Texas–Mexico border. We employ two logistic regression models (binary and ordered) to identify household characteristics that are more likely to result in water insecurity. Our analyses yielded unexpected findings: Whereas socioeconomic factors are weak predictors, immigration status of household members is a significant variable that contributes to household water insecurity. Policymakers need to pay more attention to marginalized communities as “universal” water access still leaves populations without adequate, reliable, and affordable water in the Global North.
62 citations
TL;DR: In this article, a large-scale analysis of the trajectories of individual cities and regions in the world city network between 2000 and 2012 is presented, based on advanced producer services firms "interlocking" cities through their worldwide distribution of offices.
Abstract: This article presents a large-scale analysis of the trajectories of individual cities and regions in the world city network between 2000 and 2012. The methodology used to examine cities' evolving network centralities is based on advanced producer services firms “interlocking” cities through their worldwide distribution of offices. We do not limit our analysis to a limited set of putative world cities, but incorporate 157 cities from all world regions into this global urban analysis. Absolute and relative measures of change are developed to reveal the major dimensions of change. The most notable finding is that significant connectivity gains have been limited to a small set of cities (Dubai, Shanghai, Beijing, and Moscow in particular) in the face of persisting core–periphery patterns at the level of the global economy, with New York and London remaining firmly at the apex. At the same time, overall levels of connectivity in the world city network have clearly risen, suggesting an increasingly integrated n...
54 citations
TL;DR: It is argued that IPF is an accessible and transparent tool that can be applied to a range of data situations in population geography and demography and is made available to users as supplementary material.
Abstract: Iterative proportional fitting (IPF) is a technique that can be used to adjust a distribution reported in one data set by totals reported in others. IPF is used to revise tables of data where the information is incomplete, inaccurate, outdated, or a sample. Although widely applied, the IPF methodology is rarely presented in a way that is accessible to nonexpert users. This article fills that gap through discussion of how to operationalize the method and argues that IPF is an accessible and transparent tool that can be applied to a range of data situations in population geography and demography. It offers three case study examples where IPF has been applied to geographical data problems; the data and algorithms are made available to users as supplementary material.
50 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors apply a mixed model approach, semiparametric geographically weighted regression, to house price data in Fife, Scotland (2003-2012) and find that the properties on which current prices are based tend to be in close spatial proximity.
Abstract: The real estate market has long provided an active application area for spatial–temporal modeling and analysis and it is well known that house prices tend to be not only spatially but also temporally correlated. In the spatial dimension, nearby properties tend to have similar values because they share similar characteristics, but house prices tend to vary over space due to differences in these characteristics. In the temporal dimension, current house prices tend to be based on property values from previous years and in the spatial–temporal dimension, the properties on which current prices are based tend to be in close spatial proximity. To date, however, most research on house prices has adopted either a spatial perspective or a temporal one; relatively little effort has been devoted to situations where both spatial and temporal effects coexist. Using ten years of house price data in Fife, Scotland (2003–2012), this research applies a mixed model approach, semiparametric geographically weighted regression...
41 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors developed three measures of spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal access and correlated these measures with socioeconomic status (SES) in a case in Columbus, Ohio, and found that low-SES neighborhoods in Columbus are not at a disadvantage of spatial access, but their limited temporal access is a more pressing concern.
Abstract: Typical measures of food access use spatial-only methods to identify nearby food outlets and the quantity, quality, and variety of food available. This measure of spatial access falls short in explaining the effect that the operating hours of food retailers have on food access. Our study aims to complement the spatial dimension of access measures by bringing time in as a new constraint on food access. To this end, we developed three measures of spatial, temporal, and spatiotemporal access and correlated these measures with socioeconomic status (SES) in a case in Columbus, Ohio. Findings from our analysis of food access disparity suggest that low-SES neighborhoods in Columbus are not at a disadvantage of spatial access, but their limited temporal access is a more pressing concern. Implications drawn from the study would assist community advocates, local governments, and other stakeholders in deriving a better understanding of the local foodscape that are not only mediated by space but also time.
39 citations
TL;DR: A post-World War II Japanese business model has changed the cultural production of capitalism globally as discussed by the authors, and difference is a resource for the supply chains that have come to dominate Asia and the world.
Abstract: A post–World War II Japanese business model has changed the cultural production of capitalism globally. Instead of a drive for uniformity, difference is a resource for the supply chains that have come to dominate Asia—and the world. This article offers a pocket history of the model's emergence and explores its implications for the (non)management of labor and natural resources. Heterogeneity and ruin intertwine in the making of supply chain pockets of political economy. Supply chains link precarity and prosperity, as well as varied cosmologies and ways of life, creating difference-in-connection. What we know as Asia reemerges within the linked niches and nodes of supply chains in which all kinds of difference matter and in which, indeed, global connection flourishes through structures for making and maintaining difference.
30 citations
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper investigated locational trajectories and underlying factors of software firms from 1990 to 2011 in Shanghai to detect intra-urban location trajectories, and found that location of the software industry has changed from a monocentric pattern concentrated in the central city area toward a polycentric pattern with a relative decline of the core area.
Abstract: Producer services are traditionally considered as place-bound and clustered in city centers to benefit from agglomeration effects. Such a pattern has been reshaped, however, by the decentralization of the service industry and the development of information and communication technology (ICT), especially for the software industry. This study investigates locational trajectories and underlying factors of software firms from 1990 to 2011 in Shanghai to detect intraurban location trajectories and spatial dynamics. We find that location of the software industry has changed from a monocentric pattern concentrated in the central city area toward a polycentric pattern with a relative decline of the core area. Using a conditional logit model, the study has found that government policies, accessibility, environmental conditions, agglomeration economies, and site characteristics are important determinants of location choice for software firms. In addition, the firm-level survey and in-depth interviews in Pudong Softw...
29 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors examined climate and streamflow data in the Milwaukee River Basin in southeastern Wisconsin, of which four catchments with different degrees of urbanization were selected for analysis.
Abstract: To understand the changing rainfall–runoff relationship, this study examined climate and streamflow data in the Milwaukee River Basin in southeastern Wisconsin, of which four catchments with different degrees of urbanization were selected for analysis. This study analyzed temperature, precipitation, and streamflow data with a range of statistical methods, including the Mann–Kendall test, double-mass technique, and quantile regression. Runoff ratios and extreme flow indexes were higher in more urbanized catchments. Catchments with long-term data (>forty years) showed significantly increasing runoff ratios and slopes in double-mass curves. Overall, there are signs of changes in the rainfall–runoff relationship, but how much they can be attributed to land use changes is uncertain.
26 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors evaluate the geography of participation in a recent participatory planning project undertaken in Muncie, Indiana, using the mapped information that was generated from a series of public meetings, and identify the presence of significant spatial bias in the pr...
Abstract: Public participatory geographic information systems (PPGIS) have been advanced as a means to include those who have been traditionally excluded from numerous place-specific governance activities, including planning and policymaking and as a way to resolve some of the long-standing tensions between critical traditions in human geography and the ever-expanding field of GIS. Despite the rapid adoption of participatory GIS by academics, government officials, and planning professionals, there are few guidelines of best practices for PPGIS researchers and practitioners to draw on and little effort has been made to understand how and in what ways PPGIS efforts are (or perhaps are not) effective. This article contributes to these important debates by evaluating the geography of participation in a recent participatory planning project undertaken in Muncie, Indiana. Using the mapped information that was generated from a series of public meetings, we have identified the presence of significant spatial bias in the pr...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors re-conceptualize the rural-urban interface as a conduit, a place of exchange, and a flux point between them, using a particular case of contested ecologies in the exurban Sierra Nevada foothills of California.
Abstract: As examinations of the rural–urban interface move beyond a focus on the rural or urban fringe as a location and move toward examining the patterns and processes that both divide and link rural and urban places, a broader (re)conceptualization of the rural–urban interface becomes increasingly important. Thus far the question of boundaries and interfaces between so-called urban and rural locales has mostly revolved around where and when such boundaries occur (including significant coverage of the differences and conflicts between urban vs. rural people), rather than asking what physical or social functions are being served by the rural–urban interface itself. In response, I (re)frame the rural–urban interface not only as a boundary between two distinct spaces but also as a conduit, a place of exchange, and a flux point between them. Using a particular case of contested ecologies in the exurban Sierra Nevada foothills of California, I (re)conceptualize the rural–urban interface as meaning, model, and metapho...
TL;DR: The relationship between geographical knowledge and diplomatic practice is discussed in this article, which draws from nearly 100 interviews with foreign policy professionals to offer a more "peopled" or quasi-ethnographic account of diplomacy than is usually available in scholarly literature.
Abstract: Diplomats produce a great deal of geographical knowledge: By reporting on distant places to their governments, they create particular understandings of political space. Yet these professionals rarely link their work to geography: What a geographer might call a geographical sensibility is labeled cultural knowledge by a diplomat. This article clarifies the relationship between geographical knowledge and diplomatic practice. Empirically, it draws from nearly 100 interviews with foreign policy professionals to offer a more “peopled” or quasi-ethnographic account of diplomacy than is usually available in scholarly literature. Conceptually, the article contributes to our understanding of how geographical knowledge is created inside diplomatic and bureaucratic institutions.
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TL;DR: In this article, a study of the making of Asian futures allows a broader understanding of the renewal of development in a rearranged south-north world, and a politics of futurity.
Abstract: Recently, in geography and related disciplines, there has been a call to generate conceptual frameworks from the Global South. Such a call does not imply cataloging the diversity and plurality of the world but rather requires new understandings of relationalities and transformations. In this article, I contribute to these ongoing endeavors by thinking from Asia. In doing so, I interpret Asia not as a bounded geographical location but instead as interconnected space. In particular, I pay attention to how such interconnections reference Asian models of development, thereby creating a politics of futurity. A study of the making of Asian futures allows a broader understanding of the renewal of development in a rearranged south–north world.
TL;DR: The authors provided a comprehensive overview of doctoral degrees in geography by gender, over time, and across all universities in the United States by examining an alternative database, that of doctoral dissertations.
Abstract: Although there have been noticeable improvements in recent years, geography continues to be a predominantly male discipline. The percentage of women receiving PhDs in geography has tracked lower than the U.S. average of female PhDs. Previous studies of women's contribution to geography have focused on personal accounts or on the study of some of the most prominent practitioners, with a few studies using basic data on PhDs awarded and Association of American Geographers membership to determine trends. This article provides a comprehensive overview of doctoral degrees in geography by gender, over time, and across all universities in the United States by examining an alternative database, that of doctoral dissertations. The analysis yields three separate types of results. First, historical and contemporary variations among U.S. universities are examined. Second, data indicate that male and female doctoral students differ in the sex of their advisor. Third, a simple regression model explains some of the discr...
TL;DR: The CRG index is a universal tool for capturing the dynamic views of both increasingly heterogeneous and increasingly homogeneous geographic features, and is more sensitive to changes during the evolution process of geographic features.
Abstract: The ht-index is a recently proposed tool for capturing dynamic views of the evolution process of geographic features, but the ht-index is not sensitive to small changes during this process. To address this problem, an improved ht-index, a cumulative rate of growth (CRG) index, was proposed. Compared to the ht-index, the CRG index is more sensitive to changes during the evolution process of geographic features, and the process is better captured by the CRG index as a result. In addition, the head/tail breaks method (used to derive the ht-index) was adjusted, making the CRG index a universal tool for capturing the dynamic views of both increasingly heterogeneous and increasingly homogeneous geographic features.
TL;DR: Zhang et al. as mentioned in this paper investigated the extent to which urban and rural residents trust grassroots-level institutions and how this might affect community resilience to environmental change in China, focusing on the commitments of institutional actors and their capacities to manage natural hazards and coordinate the community's response.
Abstract: This research aims to investigate the extent to which urban and rural residents trust grassroots-level institutions and how this might affect community resilience to environmental change in China. It focuses on the commitments of institutional actors and their capacities to manage natural hazards and coordinate the community's response. Semistructured interviews were conducted with megacity (Tianjin) and remote village (Wolong) residents in China. We found that public confidence in grassroots-level institutions is limited due to inherent constraints on resources and power. Residents of Wolong tend to recognize the commitment and role of those institutions in connecting individuals with one another, whereas their urban counterparts in Tianjin remain skeptical. Issues of solidarity might account for this difference. These findings will have implications for state–society cooperation and disaster risk comanagement in both urban and rural China.
TL;DR: In this paper, a spatial analysis between urban vibrancy and economic growth at the census tract level was conducted by using the Environmental Protection Agency's Smart Location Database with measures of density, land use diversity, urban design, distance to transit, and destination accessibility.
Abstract: Guided by empirical observation of recent downtown redevelopment, we conduct spatial analysis between urban vibrancy and economic growth at the census tract level. To measure the level of urban vibrancy of live work and play environments, we rely on the Environmental Protection Agency's Smart Location Database with measures of density, land use diversity, urban design, distance to transit, and destination accessibility. We further measure economic growth by the concentration of high-growth firms and employ descriptive statistics and spatial regressions to analyze the correlations. We first find the presence of vibrant centers in both urban and suburban areas. More important, we observe that vibrant centers have captured more of these high-growth firms. These results suggest the need for more refined theoretical and empirical analysis of urban vibrancy, economic development, and place attractiveness at the intrametropolitan scale.
TL;DR: In this paper, changes in tree morphology and climate and radial growth responses of six longleaf pine (Pinus palustris mill.) stands in three physiographic regions in North Carolina were documented.
Abstract: Geographic differences in tree morphology and climate and growth responses of longleaf pine have been documented, yet how these differences vary at a larger scale has not. In this study, we documented changes in tree morphology and climate and radial growth responses of six longleaf pine (Pinus palustris Mill.) stands in three physiographic regions in North Carolina. We sampled from more than fifteen trees per stand and compared site- and regional-level total and latewood ring width values to temperature, precipitation, and drought. All morphological characteristics expressed a strong west–east gradient. Climate and radial growth response was strongest for the Sandhills region and then Piedmont and Coastal Plain regions. The distinct morphological characteristic gradient did not covary with climate and radial growth response, suggesting that additional environmental influences affect needle length, trunk diameter, and height.
TL;DR: In this paper, the scalar dimensions of land conflicts within a privately managed conservation area were investigated based on qualitative research focusing on struggles related to the formation of two informal settlements within the conservation area.
Abstract: The recent expansion of protected areas and oil palm plantations in Jambi (Sumatra), Indonesia, has been notably disruptive. This article investigates the scalar dimensions of land conflicts within a privately managed conservation area. We built on qualitative research focusing on struggles related to the formation of two informal settlements within the conservation area. Results indicate that, especially in the context of rapid rescaling (e.g., decentralization), new power constellations emerge, thereby altering preexisting property relations. We argue that competing scales of meaning and regulation are structuring the ability of actors to access land and, consequently, reflect tensions between structure and agency.
TL;DR: OpenStreetMap (OSM) is an online public access database that allows for the collaborative collection of local geographic information as mentioned in this paper, which has been used to discuss a new social theory of poverty that moves away from income poverty to an economy that directly produces individuals' basic needs.
Abstract: OpenStreetMap (OSM) is an online public access database that allows for the collaborative collection of local geographic information. We employ this mapping technology to discuss a new social theory of poverty that moves away from income poverty to an economy that directly produces individuals' basic needs. Focusing on urban farming in Philadelphia as an example, we use OSM to support the argument that money, land, labor, and capital do not limit food production in the city. OSM is a type of “commons” that allows community members to depict features of interest to them that might otherwise be underrepresented in official or commercially produced maps such as Google Maps. Using the concept of facilitated volunteered geographic information (VGI) we developed an open framework for combining residents' local knowledge of food resources with expert guidance in data input. We believe this helps overcome problems with ad hoc data submission efforts to which collaborative online projects are susceptible. The prog...
TL;DR: In this article, the authors examined store location patterns and relationships between Wal-Mart's store and distribution center locations and markets, and found that although radial expansion is broadly characteristic of the dense store patterns that have been well established for Wal- Mart at the national level, expansion patterns at the regional level are consistent with a selective process based on factors other than store density.
Abstract: This research aims to provide insight regarding Wal-Mart's retail development strategy in its expansion across the continental United States. The study examines store location patterns and relationships between Wal-Mart's store and distribution center locations and markets. The study shows that, although radial expansion is broadly characteristic of the dense store patterns that have been well established for Wal-Mart at the national level, expansion patterns at the regional level are consistent with a selective process based on factors other than store density. These results provide a new perspective on Wal-Mart's expansion, providing insights of value to retail practitioners and local government.
TL;DR: The authors explored the relationship between the local food environment and walkability in the socioeconomically diverse, inner-ring suburbs of metropolitan Detroit and found that minority communities lack access to fresh produce and nutritionally adequate foods, which is compounded by limited mobility.
Abstract: This article explored the relationship between the local food environment and walkability in the socioeconomically diverse, inner-ring suburbs of metropolitan Detroit. The availability and cost differentials of food were surveyed using a modified version of the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey for Stores (NEMS–S), and a geographic information system–based method was designed to map walkability relative to licensed food retail establishments. Results showed that minority communities lack access to fresh produce and nutritionally adequate foods, which is compounded by limited mobility. By incorporating local-based economic incentives, low-income communities can better align neighborhood goals of obtaining nutritionally adequate food (and other services) with economic opportunity.
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors investigate how place-based education can enrich student awareness of place and in what way student appreciations of place can add values to the geographical reasoning on sustainability-and urbanism-related topics.
Abstract: This study presents pragmatic evidence to make learning a geographical process. It investigates how place-based education (PBE) can deepen the sense of place and vice versa. The study first reviews the meaning of PBE and continues with an ontological discussion of place. As place is theorized, learning practices in the course Sustainable Urban Development and Hong Kong are outlined. The submissions of students are analyzed, and selected reflections are presented to interface with the ontological construct of place. We examine how PBE can enrich student awareness of place and in what way student appreciations of place can add values to the geographical reasoning on sustainability- and urbanism-related topics. Results show that site selection is important and place in PBE is both real and imagined. Heritage conservation and place revitalization are potential reflective topics to design a PBE-based teaching praxis.
TL;DR: In this article, the authors suggest that scholars consider not only the epistemological perspective but also the methodological dimension to effectively exploit the less territorially trapped East Asian developmental state thesis (DST), and emphasize that interdisciplinary research using a multiscalar methodology and epistemology is required to better explain economic development in East Asia.
Abstract: Using a multiscalar approach, there has been a recent increase in geographic critiques of the East Asian developmental state thesis (DST). These critiques argue that the existing DST literature is epistemologically caught in a territorial trap. There has been less concern, however, about the methodology related to this research. In this article, I suggest that scholars consider not only the epistemological perspective but also the methodological dimension to effectively exploit the less territorially trapped DST research. Based on these analyses, this article emphasizes that interdisciplinary research using a multiscalar methodology and epistemology is required to better explain economic development in East Asia.
TL;DR: In this article, a "Pacificist" perspective was adopted to highlight the transnational collaborative efforts of Pacific ruling class members, from both Asia and the United States, in East Asian developmental states and Asian values discourse.
Abstract: Discussions of East Asian developmental states and Asian values discourse have been deformed by national-territorial frameworks that limit scholars' ability to highlight transnational phenomena. Such limits can be overcome by adopting a “Pacificist” perspective, one that highlights the transnational collaborative efforts of Pacific ruling class members, from both Asia and the United States. Such a Pacificist approach has the virtue of highlighting phenomena of transnational class formation that help account for the emergence of both developmental states in East Asia and Asian values discourse, and it also suggested the importance of attending to other kinds of emerging actors in Asian development politics, such as labor and democracy movements.
TL;DR: The authors used Google Earth and Google Street View data collected in the field to analyze the historical and geographical development of a one-square-mile neighborhood in Detroit and found that current spatial patterns of deterioration in the built environment are similar to those described in Fitzgerald, but positive sites are also apparent and often colocated with negative ones.
Abstract: William Bunge's Fitzgerald: Portrait of a Revolution, initially published in 1971, is an enthralling verbal and visual account of the historical and geographical development of a one-square-mile neighborhood in Detroit. The original analysis of the Fitzgerald neighborhood was based on intensive field-based research conducted in a theoretical context of race and racism. The research reported here maintains that context but updates Fitzgerald's account of the neighborhood's built environment through a spatial analysis that uses parcel-by-parcel data generated in Google Earth and Google Street View instead of data collected in the field. Current spatial patterns of deterioration in the built environment are similar to those described in Fitzgerald, but positive sites are also apparent and often colocated with negative ones.
TL;DR: Soil erosion threatens long-term soil fertility and food production in Q'eqchi' communities native to the Sierra Yalijux and Sierra Sacranix mountain ranges in the central highlands of Guatemala.
Abstract: Soil erosion threatens long-term soil fertility and food production in Q’eqchi’ communities native to the Sierra Yalijux and Sierra Sacranix mountain ranges in the central highlands of Guatemala. Environmental factors such as steep topography, erodible soils, and intense precipitation events, combined with land subdivision and reduced fallow periods as a consequence of population growth, contribute to severe erosion and strain soil resources. The preservation of the region's cloud forests hinges on enhancing production of staple crops through agricultural intensification while maintaining soil fertility through implementation of soil conservation measures.
TL;DR: The authors found that existing nonprofits with flexible organizational structures and emergent nonprofits succeeded in providing services during the emergency response and early recovery phases; nonprofits contracted with the government were better suited for long-term recovery.
Abstract: Following the 2010–2011 earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, many nonprofit organizations changed or expanded services to address emergent or compounded risks. This research is based on interviews with thirty local community nonprofit managers and discussions with five staff focus groups conducted in 2014. Preexisting nonprofits with flexible organizational structures and emergent nonprofits succeeded in providing services during the emergency response and early recovery phases; nonprofits contracted with the government were better suited for long-term recovery. Shared resources among nonprofit agency connections contributed to successful transitions from response to recovery. Similar organizational resilience factors might occur in other major cities following disasters.
TL;DR: In this article, a meta-analysis of an exercise that invited early-career geographers to conduct discourse analysis on commentary centered on the 2013 U.S. federal government shutdown is presented.
Abstract: Discourse analysis is a powerful and versatile methodological tool, informing a diverse body of critical geographic scholarship. Too often, however, discourse analysis remains unexplored, operating as a “black box,” underelaborated and hence undertheorized as to just what it offers. In this article, we articulate discourse analysis as inherently processual, by which we mean both that it should be understood as a process and that it can play an integral role throughout the research process. This article is derived from a meta-analysis of an exercise that invited early-career geographers to conduct discourse analysis on commentary centered on the 2013 U.S. federal government shutdown. The reflexive research process highlights the iterative, emergent, and dialogic properties of a processual engagement with a text. We suggest that recognizing these qualities enriches the role of both the analysis and the analyst(s) and expands the valence of discourse analysis as a productive and versatile component of critic...