methods employed by geographers in regional surveys: concluding discussion

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This article was downloaded by: [Temple University Libraries] On: 19 November 2014, At: 18:14 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK Journal of the American Institute of Planners Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rjpa19 Methods Employed by Geographers in Regional Surveys: Concluding Discussion G. Donald Hudson Published online: 30 Jan 2008. To cite this article: G. Donald Hudson (1935) Methods Employed by Geographers in Regional Surveys: Concluding Discussion, Journal of the American Institute of Planners, 1:3, 67-68, DOI: 10.1080/01944363508978647 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01944363508978647 PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http:// www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

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Page 1: Methods Employed by Geographers in Regional Surveys: Concluding Discussion

This article was downloaded by: [Temple University Libraries]On: 19 November 2014, At: 18:14Publisher: RoutledgeInforma Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House,37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK

Journal of the American Institute of PlannersPublication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information:http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rjpa19

Methods Employed by Geographers in Regional Surveys:Concluding DiscussionG. Donald HudsonPublished online: 30 Jan 2008.

To cite this article: G. Donald Hudson (1935) Methods Employed by Geographers in Regional Surveys: Concluding Discussion,Journal of the American Institute of Planners, 1:3, 67-68, DOI: 10.1080/01944363508978647

To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/01944363508978647

PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE

Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) containedin the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make norepresentations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of theContent. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, andare not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon andshould be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable forany losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoeveror howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use ofthe Content.

This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematicreproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in anyform to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions

Page 2: Methods Employed by Geographers in Regional Surveys: Concluding Discussion

POPULATION DENSITY AND DISTRIBUTION I N URBAN AREAS 67

The concrete-minded members of the I n s t i t u t e j oy fu l ly abandoned a l l thought of methods of determining desirably dens i t i e s under varying conditions and devoted themselves t o expres- s ions of opinion a s t o whether s i x t y persons per acre would be a good density i n Manhattan, Wichita, or where-not.

The purpose of my paper was t o promote discussion of methods of determining desira- b le d e n s i t i e s of population. I n be l ie f there is no one des i rab le density appl icable t o every community and t o every pa r t of any community.

Mr. Downs' last paragraph reads:

W i l l you and I not be held as g u i l t y of negligence and poor judgment by fu tu re gen- e ra t ions as we now consider pas t genera- t i o n s f o r the slums of Cincinnati 's "Basin': New York's Lower East Side, and other simi- lar areas of past speculation, i f we do not make a strenuous e f f o r t t o induce those i n responsible charge of new buildings t o l i m -

it population density, wherever and however persons are housed, r a the r than t o leave population density as the unknown quant i ty i n the equation?

The answer t o this question, of course, i s "yes". But w h a t form w i l l our "strenuous e f f o r t " take? W i l l it be t o proclaim t h a t s ix ty persons per n e t acre (or any other num- ber w e please) should be the maximum densi ty of population i n the most crowded pa r t of any community? And would we supplement this by proclaiming,-or perhaps by merely leaving it t o be inferred,--that e i t h e r s ix ty persons per acre or anything less than s i x t y persons,. say 59.9 persons, is per fec t ly a l l r i g h t i n any o ther p a r t of any community? Is t h a t the s tory which w e should s t i c k t o i n order that we may not be held poor judgment"? Personally I fear that this procedure might do more harm than good. But a discussion of methods of determining desir- ab le dens i t i e s of population according t o d i f f e r e n t spec i f ic circumstances ought t o do some good and no harm.

"gui l ty of negligence

METHODS EMPLOYED BY GEOGRAPHERS IN REGIONAL SURVEYS

CONCLUDING DISCUSSION*

By G. DONALD HUDSON, Chief Geography Sect ion

Division of Land Planning and Housing Tennessee Valley Authority

. Geography i s the science of the rela- t ionships between human a c t i v i t i e s and the na tu ra l environment. A complete geographic in t e rp re t a t ion o f , the occup&ncy pa t te rn of a region cons is t s of the in t e rp re t a t ion of the human a c t i v i t i e s car r ied on the re in i n re la - t i o n t o the na tura l environment. Such an in- te rpre ta t ion , i n order t o be complete, must Ifgo back" u n t i l no addi t iona l re la t ionships between man and nature can be i so l a t ed t h a t have a bearing on "how w e got t h a t way," as hlr. Bigger expresses it.

A complete geographic in t e rp re t a t ion of t he occupancy pa t t e rn of a region is , there-

fo re , something less than a complete inter- pre ta t ion . The first calls f o r the ac t ive pa r t i c ipa t ion of only the s c i e n t i f i c disci- p l i n e of geography. The second c a l l s f o r the a c t i v e pa r t i c ipa t ion of a l l s c i e n t i f i c disci- plines,-geology, botany, physics, chemistry, h i s tory , sociology, p o l i t i c a l science, eco- nomics, and all the rest. The first calls f o r a study of the re la t ionships only between man and nature, both past and present. The second c a l l s f o r the first and a study of the re la t ionships between a l l human a c t i v i t i e s and the re la t ionships between a l l of the n a t u r a l items, both those of the pas t and the present .

* The or ig ina l paper, by Mr. Hudson, was published i n The Planners' Journal, MayJune, 1935. It was discussed i n the i ssue of July-August, 1935.

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Page 3: Methods Employed by Geographers in Regional Surveys: Concluding Discussion

68 THE PLANNERS' JOURNAL V O l . 1, No. 3

So long a s the geographer in t e rp re t s the occupancy pa t t e rn only i n terms of the rela- t ionships between man and nature, he keeps within the boundaries of his d isc ip l ine . If he should attempt t o make a complete in t e r - p re ta t ion of the occupancy pat tern, then, as Mr. Bigger says , he would be compelled t o go beyond the l i m i t s of his f i e l d .

The hope of planning l i e s i n the thought expressed by M r . Bigger that " the atoms of the organism can be rearranged i n be t t e r fashion." Rearranging the atoms of the or- ganism requires the maintenance of proper re- la t ionships between the uses made of nature's resources and the resources themselves. It is because geography makes the understanding of these rehtiOn8hipS, the human use of re- gions, i t s major objective t h a t geography has major contr ibut ions t o make t o planning.

Geography and Agriculture

Geography, a s a pure science, par t ic i - pa tes in planning but is not concerned a t a l l wi th the execution of plans. Agriculture i s an applied science drawing on many pure sci- ences. As such it is d i rec t ly concerned with planning and the execution of plans. Geo- graphy, being concerned with a l l human act iv- i t i e s i n a region i n re la t ionship t o t h e i r na tu ra l environment, is, i n t h i s sense, a broader f i e l d than agr icu l ture or agricul- tural land planning, which a re concerned only with the ag r i cu l tu ra l use of resources. Agri- cu l tu re and ag r i cu l tu ra l land planning, be- ing concerned with the formulation and execu- t i o n of plans, a re , i n this sense, broader f i e l d s than geography. So much f o r the aca- demic l i n e of d a a r c a t i o n between the work of the geographer and the ag r i cu l tu ra l land planning consultant.

The p rac t i ca l l i n e of demarcation be- tween the two is not so eas i ly drawn. Under the exigencies of p rac t i ca l circumstances the geographer may funct ion a t times i n the place of the ag r i cu l tu r i s t . He would r a the r not, because he functions best i n his o m f i e l d . A t times the a g r i c u l t u r i s t functions i n the place of the geographer. H e would r a the r not, it seems safe t o assume, because he, too, funct ions best i n h i s own f i e l d . The appar- en t overlapping of d i sc ip l ines is not a mat- ter of conf l i c t , it is one of exigency. Cer- t a in ly , no important phases of an undertaking should be l e f t undone because s p e c i a l i s t s a re not a t hand; and cer ta inly, i f e i t h e r has a contr ibut ion t o make t o or a professional i n t e r e s t in , the o ther ' s f i e ld , such contr i - butione and i n t e r e s t s should not be denied.

Geography and Lend Planning

The question of the demarcation between the f i e l d of geography and land planning is a l s o easy t o determine academically. Both a r e concerned with a l l human a c t i v i t i e s and t h e i r re la t ionships t o t h e i r MtUral environ- ment. But geography ends with the formula- t i o n of plans i n co8peration with land plan- ing,-the point a t which land planning be- gins. Geograpb, on the other hand, though i t has a very de f in i t e pa r t in planning, has no part i n the execution of plans, - the end of land planning.

Pract ical ly , the l i n e of demarcation be- tween the two is harder t o draw. Land plan- ning i s not an establ ished science. h c h land planning has been done but those who have par t ic ipa ted have come from may fieldrr: en- gineering, c i t y planning, landscape architec- ture, geography, and others. One of two de- velopments w i l l take place. Ei ther a new f i e l d of land planning w i l l be developed from which our fu ture land planners w i l l come, or some f i e l d already establ ished w i l l add t o or sharpen some phase of i t s work t o include land planning. Unt i l these developments have taken place, land planning must depend upon individuals and not upon any s ingle f i e ld . Applied, f o r example, t o present state land planning organization, t h i s means that if the land planning consultant i s a geographer,ob- viously there is no need for a geographer on the staff . On the other hand, i f the land planning consultant i s not a geographer, t he re is need f o r a geographer on the staff.

Contributions t o Planninn

The methods employed by geographers in regional surveys cons t i tu te on ly one of sev- eral major contr ibut ions that geography can make t o planning. Others are: (1) a regional perspective developed i n geography through i t s study of the regional d i s t r ibu t ion of hu- man a c t i v i t i e s , or, in other words, the human use of regions; (2) sound geographic thinking i n terms of the relat ionships between man and nature; and (3) a long his tory of s c i e n t i f i c work and thought t h a t has developed i n geo- graphy a thoroughly s c i e n t i f i c approach t o problems of land use. In some instances only the f irst contr ibut ion of geography has been u t i l i z e d . Other contributions a re being rec- ognized increasingly. P l a d n g is so complex and the success of planning is so v i t a l that a l l sciences should be given an opportunity t o function t o t h e i r fullest extent. Plan- ning demands the a t t en t ion of persons in many f i e lds .

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