Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 12-4:
A
mental map of
New York City
college students.
Looking at the mental in Figure 12-4 may cause you to ask, “What was going through the minds of
those students?” In fact, like most mental maps, this one reveals a handful of factors that repeatedly
determine place desirability or undesirability. They include the following:
Home:
Dorothy said it best: “There's no place like home.” No matter where you conduct
a mental map exercise, you find that most people like where they are. Thus, New Yorkers like
New York, Londoners like London, and so forth. Home, after all, is known and predictable
and usually doesn't hold the nasty surprises that a move might.
Dislikable neighbor:
A dislikable neighbor often borders one's desirable home. Thus,
manypeopleinNewYorkCityhaveverynegative perceptions ofNewJersey.Whatthisfactor
says about the human condition is open to debate.
Physical environment:
Some people perceive some states to be more environmentally
attractive than others. Most college students in New York City, for example, generally have
positive views of states that they perceive as having warm beaches, hilly and/or mountainous
topography, and forests or related greenery. On the other hand, places that are cold, flat, and
desert-covered are worthy of avoidance.
Socio-cultural environment:
People come in different races, speak different languages,
adhere to different religions, have different sexual orientations, and so forth. Thus, when
people assess the desirability of a particular destination, they often ask themselves, “Will the
people who live there accept me, or will I find it difficult to fit in?”
Job prospects:
If you give a mental map exercise to people who are retired or about to be,
then job prospects typically don't mean diddly. But because most college students are ponder-
