Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
geography and is illustrated by the wide range of
research work presented in this topic. Applied
geographers are actively engaged in investigating
the causes and ameliorating the effects of 'natural'
phenomena such as acid precipitation, landslides
and flooding. Key issues of environmental change
and management also represent a focus for applied
geographical research, with significant
contributions being made in relation to a host of
problems, ranging from the quality and supply of
water, deforestation and desertification to a series
of land-use issues, including agricultural de-
intensification, derelict and vacant land, and
wetland and townscape conservation. Applied
geographers with a particular interest in the built
environment have, in recent decades, directed
considerable research attention to the gamut of
social, economic and environmental problems that
confront the populations of urban and rural areas
in both developed and developing countries.
Problems of housing, poverty, crime, transport, ill
health, socio-spatial segregation and
discrimination have been the subject of intense
investigation, while other topics under
examination include problems ranging from
boundary disputes and political representation to
city marketing. The application of techniques in
applied geographical analysis is of particular
relevance in relation to spatial analyses, where the
suite of problems addressed by applied
geographers ranges from computer mapping of
disease incidence to simulation and modelling of
the processes of change in human and physical
environments.
The list of research undertaken by applied
geographers is impressive, but there are no grounds
for complacency. While applied geographers have
made a major contribution to the resolution of
real-world problems, particularly in the context of
the physical environment, in terms of social policy
formulation in the post-war era the influence of
applied geography has been mixed and arguably
less than hoped for by those socially concerned
geographers who engaged in the relevance debate
a quarter of century ago.
Several reasons may be proposed to account for
this. The first refers to the eclectic and poorly
focused nature of geography and the fact that
'geographical' work is being undertaken by 'non-
geographers' in other disciplines. This undermines
the identity of geography as a subject with
something particular to offer in public policy
debate. The very breadth of the discipline, which
for many represents a pedagogic advantage, may
blur its image as a point of reference for decision
makers seeking an informed input. Geographers
wishing to influence public policy must compete
with other, more clearly identified, 'experts'
working on similar themes.
A second reason for the relatively limited
influence on public policy may be the apparent
reluctance of (human) geographers to 'get their
hands dirty' —an attitude redolent of the
eighteenth-century distinction between
gentlemen, who derived a livelihood from the
proceeds of land ownership, and those who earned
a living through trade. This applies less to research
in physical geography, where a basis in empirical
science and positivist methodology has ensured
that applied research has attracted support and
acclaim more readily both from within the
discipline and from external agencies. Significantly,
the growth of environmentalism and the
accompanying convergence of the philosophy and
methodology of physical and human geography
has gone some way towards bridging the gap
between the two major sub-areas of the discipline
and may represent a route for applied geographers
to increase their policy influence.
The changing content and shifting emphases
of human geography during the last quarter of the
twentieth century represent a third factor
underlying the limited social impact of applied
geography. Over the period, the replacement of
the earlier land-use focus in applied human
geography by questions relating to the geography
of poverty, crime, health care, ethnic segregation,
education and the allocation of public goods
brought applied geographers into direct
confrontation with those responsible for the
production and reproduction of these social
problems. Unsurprisingly, since policy makers are
resistant to research that might undermine the
legitimacy of the dominant ideology, social policy
