111 )f-"y LU 1I( N H DOCUMENT R- UMB BD 128 247 SO 008 315 TITLE Urban. Geography: Topics in Geography, Nua1er 1. INSTITUTION National Counc7i1 for Geographic Educat _n. PUB DATE May 66 NOTE 42p.; For related documents, see SO 009 316 and 317 AVAILABLE FROMNCGE Central Office, 115 North Marion Stree Oak Park- Illinois 60301 ($1.00) EDES PRICE MF-S50.83 Plus Postage. EC Not Available from EDPS. DESCRIPTORS *City Flanning; Community Change; Curriculum Development; *Curriculum Research; Essays; Geographic Concepts; *Geography Instruction; Higher Education; High School Curriculum; *Human Geography; Secondary Education; Urban Areas; Urban Environment *Urbanizatiun; *Urban Studies ABSTRACT The scope, objectives, and soni Q of the finoinqs of urban geography are discussed in this paper. Curriculumdevelopment in urban geography at the high-school level is alsobriefly described. The first of six articles, "Aspects and Trends ofUrban Geography," explains the urban geographer's interestin iuter:Ial city structure, interaction of static functions within thecity as well as changing patterns over time, and use of mathematical modelsof urban characteristics. The second article, "Historical and Comparative Urban Studies," defines cities as centers of exchangeand traces urbanization historically and geographically. The elements of Christaller's central place theory are explained in thethird paper, which includes definitions of cercral place, centralgoods and services, and the range or complementary region of a good."Public Policy and the Centra] Business District" (CBD), thefourth article, compares the CHD's assets and deficitsand explores the need for public policy when growth in outlying areas is sapping itsstrenyth. The last two articles discuss the urban unit of theHigh School Geography Project and the need for nrban geography in U.S.high schools. (AV) Documents acquired by ERIC include many informalunpublished *materials not available from other sources-. ERICmakes every effort* *to obtain the best copy available.Nevertheless, items of marginal * *reproducibility are often encountered and this affects thequality * *of the microfiche and hardcopy reproductions ERICmakes available * *via the ERIC Document Reproduction Service (EDES). EDRSis not *responsible for tbe quality of the original document.Reproductions* *supplied by BIM are the best that can be made fromthe original. * ************4********************************************************** TOPICS IN GEOGRAPHY Number 1 LI SE,DuctirfONS, ok,PAFT ViFAMU NAT twitiL.MSTErtJTEOF QUCAT ION 4 EPWO- Nea.$ BE EN TH DOCUMENT FROM Li(lert, CXACTOM PECENCO TA4GATTIZATTDNOTTIGITT- TAV pp I-4 ST)t% C36.1 viEysi CI; OF MONT, TiTTC, I T LL NECES5A01 PEPRE- '-ATI:D co NOT TIoNAL INT$TtJTEOF f Of ,01,4 Op vfoi ,cy FEICi41iON Poy URBAN GEOGRAPHY Nation 1 uncil for Geographic Edixotion 2 TOPICS IN GEOG1APW( Number 1 URBAN GEOGRAPHY National Council for Geographic Education Illinois State University Normal, Illinois 61761 3 I `: (;FOGR PUY SERIES U1 (LII [lc rtItsit)this hook TI why'. havc rcp/ iit&i1 olti ilit NI;:y. 1 issuc UI Thc IHurnal Getigraphy. Thc Pulnlcw ions (:( Hui- of thc;`,:ai t)nal Council lor Guographic Education is graftt ul it) Dr, 1-Icrbcrt II(1ross. Editor ol Tlw.lourrial uJ (;eograPhy lin- planning 311(1 ing flitsS)C..' UI issiic on "[limnCcogrApliv" and :dsti tor 1),.rit 1 to rcprini from II/is Issue. Kermit NI. Laidig Dircctor l'ill)lJiI i May,I 961i 4 TABLE OF CONTENT: 'lo Understand Urban Environin Tits Arthur and Judith Getis 9 Aspects and elrends ut Urban(cographv Barry j. Garner Historical and Comparative Urban _ u Rhoads Nturphey Christaller's Cell tral Place'heory Arthur and Judith C;etis 18 Public Policy a d the Central Business t Ronald R. 13ovc e The Urban Unit of the Fligli S:liool Geography Project Arthur Getis The Need for Urban Geography in Our HighSchools f. Lewis Robinson 34 To Understand Urban Environments Arthur and Judith Gttis At no time in our history has thereon urban geography into the thir .-week been a more press:ing need to understahdcourse now being deviloped for use in urban environments than today. AboutAmerican secondary schoolsI hex. point 70 percent of thepopillationolthe out that tl e majority of U. S. high sehool United States presently byes in urbanstudents today hve in or adjacent to areas, as contrasted with only 5S percentcities. Teaching units which n worporate at the end of World War II, It has been sueli an environment thus begin with the predicted that of the projected 300 mil-familiar;the cityis an ideal starting lion Anwriefins in the year 2000, ithout SO placc from which to lead the student to percent, or 240 million will live in uthan an understanding of geographic princi- areas. In other words, our urban popula-ples and methods of study. tion will nearly double in the next gener- In addition, for the past several years ation. Thk trend in urbanization is notsonic of the outstanding research in ge- peculiar to the United States lint is a re-ography has dealt with urban problems. current ph-li0n-J(1nmthrough(mttheNearly every issue of each of the profes- world. sional geography journals has at least Many educatorsare aware oftheone article on various aspects of urban growing importance and comples:ity ofareas. One disappointing facet of this cities, and of the need for cur students togrowing scholarly interest in urban geo - understand this new kind of environ-raphy, however, has been the researchers' ment. An increasing n amber of articlesinability or lack of interest in communi- and books, teaching units, seminars andcating with teachers at all academic lev- itutes are being devoted to urbaniza-els. Very few elementary and secondary tion and its implications for education.school teachers and surprisingly few col- This awareness is well reflected in thelege instructors have a clear notion of discipline of geography. For example,just what problems are being attacked thesteering committeeofthe Highby professional urban geographers and School Geography Project, composed ofwhat they have found. !nen who are aniong the most respected It is this aspect of the comaiunications professional geographers, has decided tobreakdown coupled with the growing in- incorporate about seven weeks of workterest in cities that has motivated the ed- Awritun GE:ris is an associate professor, Department of Geography ar,A. Urban Studies Center, Rutg,crsThe State University, New Brunswick, New Jer'sey. He iti geographer-in7charge of the development of the Urban Unit: Intraeity Analysis of the Higil School Geography Project and coordinator of the New Jersey field trials of the project. No111( CMS is an instructor, co-adjutant staff, Rutgers. She is the wife of Arthur Getis. Mrs. Getis iS the educational associate on the urban Unit: Intraeity Analysis, High School Geography Project. Her academic degrees arc from the University of MiAigan and Michigan State Uni- versity. THE JOURNAL OF GE 6 ol tiJouroal iJ Gco;,71pIty to pub- chii o-mt. tutuperiods, Niurphey shows arkcl.,,; hich rIwkc ur what it is how geographic principles help us to un- that prolussionallii 11.111L(uJTij)hi(rS .1rederstand titdevelopment inanytime doing. A fitrog plow to start vas at the period, Urban Cem-rapho.: lostunte held at lint- 'Flue work ofW;l'iterChristaller has gers University in the ,mnuner of 1905, sin ottlat,d a considerable tunount of dis- supported by the:Ns IVA, At this insti-cossioa :mmHg urban geographers. A tote scholars from a number or im large segmeot of present day research in sitit's and high school teachers from allthe city-binlcriand relationships, patterns over the country came together to ex- Of city location, and internal structure of plore duo field of urban geography. At cities has its roots in Christaller's work, the end of the institute, Professors Ron-Although much of what Chnstaller said ald T1, Boy( e ( Volversity of Washington), has been modified and expanded by re- BurryI(3arner( University of Bristol,cent writers,it was thought most ap- England),ArthurGetis( Rutgers-The propriate to Meiotic an article telling State Cmversity), and Ilhoads Nlorphev brieflyof Christaller's famous theory: ( University .uf Nlich4in) putt together acentral place theory. Too often writers series of papers which seek to show die have assumed a knowledge of this theory scope, the objectives, and sonie cif theon die part of the reader, when in fact it findings of urban geography, has luvn lacking. Wc have attempted to The first article, -Aspects and Trendsnut ke clear the basic tenets of this oft- of Crlian C.cooranliy,- by Prof, B. J. Gar- nul mimed work, ner, was written ill an attempt ti) outline Proh.ssor Flonald Boyce, in the next briefly just what it k that orban geogra- article, shows how a geograplwr*s knowl- phers presently study. Their interest in (lige can he holpfld in understanding an the interaction of activities within imdUnpin:int urban problemthat of the between cities is most evident. The effect well-being of the central business dis- of change in patterns of naeraetion is in- trict, Ile demonstrates the practicality of creasingly hieing studied. For example, mho, geographic research by extending researchers or,questioning how desireshis understanding to recommend action for soburban land affect land use pat- for the .folution of an urban problem, terns and interaction among functional These four articles arc examples of elements in cities. 11w iiietliods that the many which could havebeen written to urban geographer employs toanswer introduce interested people to the nature such qoestions arc discussed briefly. Asof urban geography and to inform them in each of the articles, terms that urban about it. We hope that they will give the geogradhers use in their work are itali-reader an idea of the scope of the field cized and explained. mid also increase interest in urban geog- Prof lorphey'views Luridly the raph y. cuinceinsof urbangt,iigraphers when Finally, short statement is included they study the origin of cities, The fac which tells of experimental work in the tors which enable cities to adneve great-development of materials for the study nessarcexplowd withrefereilcetoof urban geography at the high school differentareasof thesvorkland to level.