1. GRADUATE PORTFOLIO
JARED BURKETT
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN GEOGRAPHY
Concentration of study – Geographic Information Systems and
Cartography
“I shall collect plants and fossils, and with the best of instruments make astronomic
observations. Yet this is not the main purpose of my journey. I shall endeavor to find out how
nature's forces act upon one another, and in what manner the geographic environment exerts
its influence on animals and plants. In short, I must find out about the harmony in nature.”
~Alexander von Humboldt
2. TABLE OF CONTENTS
REFLECTIVE ESSAY 3
RÉSUMÉ 13
PORTFOLIO 17
ABANDONED GAS WELL LAND COVER 18
WORLDWIDE MANGROVE DISTRIBUTION 31
FIVE ESSAYS THAT DESCRIBE THOUGHT AND PHILOSOPHY IN GEOGRAPHY AND REGIONAL PLANNING. 71
STRUCTURALISTS VERSUS STRUCTURATIONISTS 72
STRUCTURALISM VERSUS MARXISM: CRITIQUE AND DIFFERENTIATION BETWEEN THE TWO APPROACHES 75
THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPACE AND PLACE 78
GIS IN THE GEOGRAPHIC TRADITION HIERARCHY 81
HOW CAN ‘PLANNING’, IN PRACTICE, BENEFIT FROM UNDERSTANDING: BEHAVIORAL AND HUMANIST
PHILOSOPHIES, STRUCTURE AND AGENCY, IDEAS OF PLACE AND SPACE, AND THE USE OF GIS IN
CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY
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3. Address | 204 Briarwood, Indiana, PA 15701 Phone | 814.246.8157
Reflective Essay
The smallest decisions are weighted heavily in my mind to strategically identify the best choices.
I carefully weigh the pros and cons in every decision. This thinking system is congruent to the
personality testing I have completed. My personality type, as outlined by the Jungian
methodology of testing via the Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator test, classified me as an
INFJ. According to most websites tracking personality data, these personality types frequent the
website’s career explorations page more than all the other groups combined. Although we are by
some website’s estimates to be only 1% of the population, the smallest of the 16 classifications, we
still research more than all other personality types combined. This avarice for knowledge coupled
with our propensity for negotiating combine to produce adept planners, having great imagination,
resourcefulness, communication proficiency, and intuition. Accordingly, I find great meaning in
my work and live to make a difference.
It was not until 2008 at the age of 24, after many years of dealing with a malady, that I was
diagnosed with a serious but temporary illness. I then went through two years of treatment to
reach functionality. In 2010, I immediately enrolled at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania
(IUP) Punxsutawney campus in my hometown. I chose a major purely out of financial impetus,
that of pre-pharmacy. Later I realized that the job would offer a mundane life of routine. Soon
after I changed my major to pre-med. The choice reflected the years of doctor’s visits I had
experienced; it was what I knew. I then came to the realization that I had a career oriented
Stockholm Syndrome. Upon seeing that medicine was not my passion, I changed my major to
fashion merchandising. I loved the coursework and the outlet for creativity that it offered me.
However, a few semesters later tragedy struck again. My health deteriorated and I found myself
too weak to go to school. I had to withdraw from the university. After I was assured I had
completed the proper treatment and had recovered, I promptly reapplied for readmission to IUP.
The Office of Vocational Rehabilitation was assisting me with my recovery and aided in my
determining that I was potentially in a career that would not be best suited to my health
limitations if they persisted, though I ended up having a complete recovery. We didn’t want to
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add too much extra time and extend my schooling too long. I was brainstorming once again to
find the best fit.
I remembered the days of being in class with Professor Wicker at the Punxsutawney campus and
how well I did in the class. I loved the information we were discussing, and due to my connecting
and subsequently engaging with the material, I excelled in the class. Learning about the culture
of different nations was fascinating to me and tied into my life experiences from publishing a
culture themed magazine in 2005 called The Cultural Effect, Travel and Enlightenment. My new
career research and testing using career matching software listed Geographic Information
Systems (GIS) Specialists as a relative match. I recalled how Professor Wicker brought to my
attention the career possibilities a geography major offered. The credits that were needed to
complete the major were feasible for my goal of graduating in the spring of 2015 and so I changed
my major to geography.
I decided that majoring in the general geography major would facilitate a faster graduation and
that I could then enroll in the Early Admission to Graduate Studies program and focus my learning
in a specific track during graduate school. General geography gave me flexibility. I initially
concentrated on what subjects interested me. Over the course of time while choosing classes, I
saw my preconceived ideas of what interested me were not necessarily accurate.
Through my coursework, I found that I really enjoyed cartography. Hands on knowledge in the
proper mapmaking skills and techniques seemed highly valuable for any geography profession.
Because I found this class to be so fulfilling and valuable, I determined that I should focus on GIS
and Cartography for my Master’s Degree. I then took the Introduction to GIS course. I hoped it
would fuel my passion for spatial analysis, and it did to an extent. I also found the Geography of
Wine course to be very valuable, not because it is needed in the job market, but because it enriched
my life. I have a history of loving botany and cultures so learning about both in the context of
wine captivated me. I also found it valuable because I’ve dreamt of having a winery; my family
always promoted the value of having one’s own business.
I valued and enjoyed the Cultural Geography class so much that I am disappointed that there isn’t
a major that has a cultural geography concentration or track at IUP. A Cultural Geographer could
use their knowledge of history and social interactions to forecast global social possibilities. They
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would have a better skill set than a historian or anthropologist if they have the ability to use GIS
and cartography to supplement their research. They could be employed by countless
organizations that need analysts to understand human nature and yet have the knowledge to use
the geographer’s tool set.
In order to advance my knowledge of cartographic concepts, I completed the next Cartography
course, Cartography II. This course allowed me to pursue other ArcGIS ESRI software such as
ArcGlobe and ArcScene to create animated and three dimensional maps. The atlas project offered
me the chance to compose a map book of my cartographic work describing distribution pattern
research of mangrove forest dispersion on the planet. I chose to present that atlas in this portfolio.
I also completed the Map and Photograph Interpretation course, which allowed me to advance
cartographic concepts and techniques as well as increase my knowledge of a wider variety of map
types and cartographic methods. We also studied historic cartographic methods and international
mapping terminology.
The core courses for graduate school included Thought and Philosophy in Geography and
Regional Planning and Quantitative Techniques in Geography and Regional Planning. Both
courses honed my research and writing abilities. Thought and Philosophy prepared me to think
critically and from differing approaches to researching in the field. Because this course required
me to elevate my research writing techniques and thinking, I have included the course final in this
portfolio. The final consists of five essays dealing with various approaches used in the Geography
and Regional Planning field of research. The Quantitative Techniques course taught me valuable
information and techniques on analyzing data for research. This course opened my eyes to the
possibilities of statistics for spatial analysis. I particularly was fascinated by the conclusions that
can be drawn from inferential statistics and regression analyses. I can’t wait to use this knowledge
for my own research. I have varying interests I would like to pursue including using a regression
analysis of known archaeological sites along with some typically used independent variables to do
prediction modeling to find likely locations of other sites.
Remote sensing was a fascinating course and I found it to be highly valuable and suited to many
fields of study. Because of my skills in the course and my attention to detail, my professor Dr. Liu
funded me to conduct research on the land cover classifications of a buffer around abandoned and
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orphaned gas wells. The abandoned gas well land cover classification project is presented in this
portfolio of work. This work was rewarding but it required large amounts of patience. I learned
of the major frustrations that occur with GIS software and running complex processes that have
higher incidents of encountering software glitches. This was a major deterrent to me and I began
questioning the choices I had made. I then took the Applications Development course that dealt
with GIS scripting and ESRI’s ModelBuilder. I also found the possibilities in this field to be
exciting and widely usable but very problematic. Furthermore, I received a Graduate
Assistantship working at the Institute for Mine Mapping, Archival Procedures and Safety (IMAPS)
and worked on spatially correlating crash data to crime in Pennsylvania. I also worked with
preparing data, creating metadata, and geoprocessing that data along with the Department of
Environmental Protection’s permitting maps to create a 3-Dimensional underground map of all
of the bore holes for Marcellus gas wells.
After working at IMAPS for one semester, and consistent with evidence from my other
coursework, it became evident that it was not a perfect fit. I still value this field, though I now
realize that I want to be a researcher who augments my research with GIS and cartography and
not be the GIS Specialist that the researchers come to for their highly technical work. What I did
know was that I loved Regional Planning. It makes sense that the constant planning and analytics
that I employed in my own life would indicate that planning and analytics would be a perfect
match for me. I now know this is my passion from working at the Indiana County Office of
Planning and Development (ICOPD).
I was first an intern during the summer of 2015 working on putting together a grant application
to gain 1.2 million dollars to supplement the 2.4 million they had already been awarded through
another grant. This was for a multimodal route to go through the town of Indiana. This included
four stakeholders, Indiana County, Indiana Borough, White Township and the Indiana University
of Pennsylvania. Being productive in a group having that many differing opinions and
expectations for a project was a difficult task. All parties had to be actively involved with me so I
was able to deliver a successful grant application. Of course I had assistance from the Deputy
Director of Planning Jeff Raykes, and from the White Township Code Enforcement Officer Josh
Krug, who was assigned to work on the project with me. We tirelessly worked to overcome social
and political obstacles to create a viable grant application and apply within the deadline. To gain
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some real world skills in GIS and cartography, I was often tasked with creating maps for the
discussions and ultimately the final maps for the grant application. These can be seen in Item 1a,
1b, 1c and 1d.
My hard work paid off, due to my diligence and work ethic, when the County hired me to be the
WalkWorks Communications Planner. I chose to gain credits once again at the County through
interning, but now in a different capacity. WalkWorks is an initiative of the Pennsylvania
Department of Health, and thus contributes to the health and welfare of the state. The
Pennsylvania Department of Health has partnered with the University of Pittsburgh Graduate
School of Public Health Center for Public Health Practice to create a network of fun, fact-filled,
community-based walking routes and walking groups. The University of Pittsburgh then selected
counties in Pennsylvania that they deemed to be in need according to their statistical analysis, and
Indiana County was selected. The team was selected for the work during the summer of 2015,
establishing a very successful route in Blairsville, PA. Barbara Hauge is the Program Manger, and
Jeff Raykes oversaw the project and the aspects of the program that needed government
assistance. I was hired to assist with all of their responsibilities.
My primary tasks were to plan all aspects in establishing the walking routes in three new
municipalities and to continue managing an established municipality’s route. I had to contact the
municipalities and schedule meetings, prepare agendas, prepare document packets, attend and
manage team meetings, host public outreach events, table at festivals and other events to inform
the public about the program as well assisting the municipalities with any help they needed. I also
was able to use my mapping skills in creating maps for events and conferences, as well as maps of
the walking routes.
Originally, the Evergreen Boys and Girls Club in Indiana, PA, managed two WalkWorks routes.
As time progressed, they were asked to expand their program. They were ill equipped to handle
more walking routes due to staff limitations and the ICOPD volunteered to manage all of their
routes. Our budget was increased and my managers decided to offer me a promotion and raise to
be the WalkWorks Assistant Program Manager. We then hired my replacement and I was given
the task of being her manager. I now have more hours and responsibility than before and have
been given the lead in planning a conference that will be held on March 22, 2016 here in Indiana,
PA. This is a statewide conference for all Pennsylvania WalkWorks partners. The conference is
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titled Whole Health: Biking, Walking, and Good Nutrition. Planning this conference is a major
task that requires scheduling many meetings and setting and fulfilling all deadlines. It demands
advanced planning and complex problem solving and flexibility to overcome obstacles and reach
the end goals. It also requires strategic and skilled communication with people and organizations
in the state with varying interests and agendas.
All of these experiences at ICOPD have proven to me that I love planning and making a difference
in the community. It fulfills a need in me to be doing something important and satisfies my
intrinsic motivation. Due to this, I decided to enroll in the environmental planning course. This
class will afford me to meet the qualifications for the Master of Science in Environmental Planning
track as well. Though I took some of the required classes for the track at the undergraduate level,
and so cannot officially switch my emphasis, I know that I had the same classes needed to be an
Environmental Planner. This will assist me in reaching my future endeavors to work as a planner
in a similar capacity elsewhere.
I have been keen to pay attention to the structure of the major and the faculty’s teaching methods
because I am contemplating a career as a professor of geography or regional planning. I do think
my life full of experiences has prepared me to have an analytical and intuitive insight into a
student’s mind and thus affect interest and commitment from students. Either way, I am sure I
must be helping others and advocating for something meaningful throughout my career and
where I can use my skills of logical thinking, analysis, and planning to better people’s lives.
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Remote Sensing ~ graduate level
Research Seminar
Thought and Philosophy in Geography and Regional Planning ~ graduate level
Honors, Skills:
• Government program management
• Trained Environmental Planner
• Advanced end user of GIS
• Advanced knowledge of cartographic concepts, spatial data characteristics and GIS
functionality
• Operational knowledge of higher functionality in ArcGIS 10.3
• Experience with ERDAS Imagine, ArcPy, ESRI’s ModelBuilder, MapInfo, Adobe suite, Office
suite and map archival technology
• Knowledgeable in writing PYTHON scripting for automating GIS processes
• Familiar with SPSS software and statistical analysis calculations for conducting research
• Latin Honors of Magna Cum Laude ~ undergraduate
• Member of the Honors Society of Phi Kappa Phi
• Member of the International Honors Society Gamma Theta Upsilon
• Deans list for every full-time semester
• Named a Provost Scholar for excellent cumulative undergraduate GPA
• Undergraduate GPA of 3.71 on 4.0 scale
• Undergraduate departmental GPA of 3.9 on 4.0 scale
• Attained 15 graduate degree credits as an undergraduate
• Advanced writing and communication skills
• Training and experience in map archival procedures
• Regional Planning experience through internships
• Grant writing experience for a government agency
• Experience running fiscal projections for bid packages
Work Experience:
GIS Specialist/Graduate Assistant (8/2015 – present)
Institute for Mine Mapping, Archival Procedures, and Safety (IMAPS)–IUP
−IMAPS conducts GIS analysis through government grant-funded projects.
Assists in conducting research with Professor Bob Wilson. Example of work includes data
scrubbing and synthesis of PA state crash data for analysis and crash correlations to crime
areas. Currently georeferencing Marcellus drill maps and 3-Dimensionally mapping
underground laterals. Making web portal for public to enter coordinates of abandoned and
orphaned wells found. Working this spring with abandoned and orphaned gas well data and
analyzing air and groundwater pollution.
Have been trained in every operational component of underground mine mapping archival
procedure. Gained insight into project management for grant funded projects and
participated in producing sample work intended to secure state funding for project
continuation.
16. Address | 204 Briarwood, Indiana, PA 15701 Phone | 814.246.8157
Work Experience:
(Continued)
WalkWorks Assistant Program Manager (8/2015 – present)
University of Pittsburgh/ Indiana County Office of Planning & Development
−The PA Department of Health enlisted the University of Pittsburgh to implement their
WalkWorks program in Indiana County.
Began as the Communications Planner organizing new walking groups and enlisting
community participants and activists for the program. Involves interviewing municipalities,
selecting walking routes, presenting information to elected officials, conducting Walkability
Assessments, leading marketing measures, and hosting events.
Promoted to the Assistant Program Manager for the Indiana County WalkWorks program and
leads in planning a statewide conference for healthy living, maintaining needs of numerous
sponsors including WalkWorks, the University of Pittsburgh, IUP, county offices, and medical
centers.
Assistant Project Manager/Regional Planner – GIS/grant writing (6/2015 – present)
Indiana County Office of Planning & Development
−A predominantly rural county, in 2015 the planning section was awarded for having the
best planning program for students in all Pennsylvania government offices.
Works a varied array of tasks as a regional planner. Project Manager, under the Deputy
Director of Planning, preparing exhibits for and in orchestrating the completion of grant
application for state funding to supplement secured federal funds to pay for Multimodal
Corridor through University, Borough, and Township. Because numerous entities are invested
in project, work requires Project Manager to show leadership and tact to facilitate parties’
desires.
Project affords involvement with GIS and cartographic functions, community outreach,
financial calculations, historical and economic research, scheduling and leading meetings, as
well as functions carried out by regional planners.
Government Accounts Acquisition Specialist & Court Reporter (3/2013 - 7/2013)
York Stenographic Services
−Court reporting and stenographic services for government contracts administered by a
multimillion-dollar private company.
Functioned as court reporter and stenographer at many county and federal locations.
Included House of Representatives, reporting hearings for Department of Energy and
Commerce, Department of Agriculture, and Department of Appropriations. Reported at
borough and township zoning and planning hearings, as well as Board of Veterans’ Appeals
hearings.
Sole New Accounts Acquisitions Specialist for company. A government transition to a digital
job board structure required skills in learning that structure and bidding on contracted multi-
million-dollar court reporting and transcription jobs. Tasked to create bid packages for
contracts and run fiscal projections to determine contract feasibility before creating bid.
Increased knowledge on zoning and planning procedures as well as enhanced efficiency and
speed at highly demanding tasks. Honed project management skills and learned how to
manage fiscal budgets.
17. Address | 204 Briarwood, Indiana, PA 15701 Phone | 814.246.8157
PORTFOLIO
Examples of Work
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Abandoned Gas Well Land Cover
Abstract
Abandoned gas wells are known to have deleterious effects on the environment and pose safety
hazards, as listed in this research. The extent of these effects and hazards correlate to the land
cover surrounding each abandoned gas well. Mapping these wells and classifying them by their
land cover determine the quantity of each classification of land cover and aid other studies in
identifying the most at risk abandoned gas well locations.
Introduction
There are copious numbers of abandoned gas and oil wells on the planet. When a well no longer
produces enough natural gas or oil to be financially viable, they are abandoned. The brine tanks
are removed, meters and other components are recycled, and a wellhead is all that is left. This
process has been in practice for many years. The first oil well ever drilled on the planet was in
Pennsylvania in 1859. 300,000 gas and oil wells were drilled in Pennsylvania by 1984. Change
was needed due to the hazards posed to any passerby stumbling upon an abandoned well.
Changes to abandoned wells came when the Oil and Gas Act of 1984 required all abandoned
wells to be plugged. The Act also required registering where the newly permitted wells were
located. Before 1984 wells were not registered and thus many old wells have never been plugged.
Scott Detrow states in his article Perilous Pathways: Behind The Staggering Number of
Abandoned Wells in Pennsylvania, “There’s probably close to 200,000 wells that are largely or
relatively unaccounted for in the commonwealth.” The individuals and companies that owned
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these wells are now bankrupt or no longer exist and can’t plug the wells. The Department of
Environmental Protection (DEP) states, “In 1992, the legislature amended the Oil and Gas Act of
1984 to allow certain oil and gas wells abandoned before April 1985 to be classified as orphan
wells. This amendment gave the Department the authority to plug orphan wells if landowners,
leaseholders and oil and gas operators have received no economic benefit from the well after
April 18, 1979” (DEP).
The determination of what classifies a well abandoned is also mentioned by DEP to be a well that
has not been operating for a year and if it has inactive status. Then the operator must plug the
well. But the wells that are categorized as abandoned and orphaned require government funding
to be plugged, which is lacking. Since the plugging program began in 1992 only a few wells in
Pennsylvania have been plugged. This needs to be addressed because the DEP states, “An
unplugged abandoned well can be a hazard to the health and safety of people and cause pollution
to the environment. Air, water and soil contamination can be attributed to leaking wells” (DEP).
An instance of the danger can be illustrated by the incident in the summer of 2012. Shell was
drilling a gas well in Union Township of Tioga County when a geyser of methane gas and water
erupted from the ground. An unknown abandoned gas well in the path of the drill was the cause
of the explosion (Detrow 2012). Methane can also escape form the abandoned wells and pool
in buildings and lead to explosions. There are also unsafe structural conditions from the wells if
new construction is placed on the unknown abandoned well location. So there is a need to
identify the abandoned and orphaned wells that take priority for plugging. This study details the
process of identifying the land cover around abandoned and orphaned gas wells. The land cover
classifications can be used to determine possible environmental impacts to the surroundings of
the abandoned wells. If an abandoned well is close to development or has an urban classification,
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then the abandoned well is more likely to be a hazard to humans. The class of land cover can
also be of concern. If the land cover class is water for instance, then the possibilities of
contamination to humans through water supply could be higher.
Methods
The goal of identifying the abandoned gas wells’ land cover involves many steps. A study area
must be established to conduct the research project where a high incidence of abandoned gas
wells can be studied. A general overview map of Pennsylvania’s abandoned and orphaned gas
well locations aided in the process of selecting a location. This map from the Department of
Environmental Protection can be seen in Figure 1. From viewing the map in Figure 1, it could be
determined that the study area needed to be located in the concentrated band of abandoned and
orphaned gas wells spanning across the Northern and Southern boundaries of Pennsylvania. Any
location would suffice in this area so I chose a familiar location to study, near my hometown of
Punxsutawney, in Jefferson County, Pennsylvania.
Next, the study area needed to be isolated to identify those abandoned and orphaned locations.
The x and y coordinates of each well also needed to be downloaded and projected to do further
processes because the map image from DEP is an uneditable graphic and the wells needed to
be first organized as points. The point locations were downloaded from the DEP as a comma
separated file and then projected and mapped for illustrative purposes to identify the locations in
proportion to the already plugged gas well locations as seen in Figure 2. For Figure 2, a
Pennsylvania County boundary shape file was needed and Jefferson County was clipped and
duplicated to isolate the targeted area in a new frame. The Figure 2 map is needed to illustrate
the proliferation of abandoned and orphaned wells versus the wells that the government paid to
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have plugged since their well plugging program in 1984. It hints to the slow progress of the
program and fuels this study by pointing to the need for high risk well locations with more sensitive
land covers to be targeted for abandoned well plugging first.
Figure 1
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Figure 2 assists in identifying the primary location of the abandoned and orphaned gas wells in
Jefferson County, Pennsylvania. For the purposes of speeding up the processing times and the
study, one township was isolated for the study location. A township with a high density of well
locations was selected arbitrarily, Perry Township. Adding townships was done by downloading
Figure 2
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and importing a shape file of Pennsylvania township boundaries from the Pennsylvania Spatial
Data Access (PASDA) and clipping the township of interest, Perry Township.
Now that the township location was overlaid with the gas well x and y coordinates and a raster
image was beneath those, the point locations needed to have buffer zones calculated around
them for later analysis. The buffer tool was used in ArcGIS to project a 100-foot buffer around
each point as shown in Figure 3. Figure 3 magnifies the
buffer zones around three wells with a high resolution
background raster image of the location to better illustrate the
size of the 100-meter buffer zones. Figure 4 maps Ringgold
Township adjacent to the study area to detail the scope of
the well locations and their buffer zones in one of the
townships most populated with abandoned wells.
Before more could be done in ArcGIS 10.2, the land cover needed to be classified. A map of
classifications could be used that was already available through DEP as seen in Figure 5,
however, a new and original classification was perceived to be more beneficial. First the raster
image retrieved earlier of the subject area was processed using ERDAS Imagine 2014. An electro
magnetic radiation spectral reading was processed using a supervised calculation method. The
Signature editor in ERDAS Imagine was used to select cover types from the image and then
create the spectral signature of these covers. An example would be locating a stand
Figure 3
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of forest on the image and capturing its spectral signature. Three signatures were captured for
each class of cover and averaged. Only five covers were chosen due to the limited coverage
classes for this specific township, they are urban, forest, fields, water, and dirt. Unclassified is
also present in case values could not be determined. Now these cover classifications need to be
related to the well coordinates.
First the Extract Values to Points tool in the Spatial Analyst features of ArcGIS was used
to extract the raster land cover classifications to the gas well point locations. Next the Extract by
Mask tool in ArcGIS is used to relate the buffer zones to the raster file. These steps are needed
so that the buffer zones are associated with the specific land cover classifications and can be
tabulated. Figure 6 captures the final steps’ results. That is the final step that reveals the ultimate
results of the research project.
Figure 5
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Results
The map with the buffered wells and classified land cover can be seen in Figure 7 and
Figure 8. Figure 7 is needed as a reference of the study area of Perry Township. Figure 8 is Perry
Township and its abandoned and orphaned wells with the land cover in the buffer zones classified.
To establish the results of how much land of each classification around each well there are, the
data table in ArcGIS must be analyzed. The table indicated that the land cover classifications for
the abandoned and orphaned gas well locations in Perry Township were not all present in the
Figure 6
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100-meter buffer zones. Three were present, Forest, Fields, and Urban. Of these three, the data
table revealed that there were 641 pixels of Forest, 457 pixels of Fields and 4 pixels of Urban.
The pixel size of the raster image is 30 meters by 30 meters. Thus the square meter size of each
pixel is 900 meters. The classes need to be multiplied by 900 to determine how many square
meters of each class occupy the 100-meter buffer zones. The results are represented in Figure
9.
Figure 7
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Land Cover Pixels Multiplier
(30m x 30m pixel size)
Total Meters
Squared
Forest 641 x 900m2
= 576,900m2
Fields 457 x 900m2
= 411,300m2
Urban 4 x 900m2
= 3,600m2
Conclusions/Discussion
Further studies need to be conducted to determine the extent of the environmental impacts
on abandoned and orphaned wells. The extent to which the wells leak and deteriorate should be
studied as well as the effects the leakage from the wells could have on the environment. The
extent the leakage spreads from the well in the buffer zones needs to be established to ensure a
100-meter buffer zone is adequate. Even after the wells are plugged the long term durability of
the well plugs needs to be ascertained. An article from Eco Zine about abandoned gas wells
states, “Faulty cement application puts a select set of wellheads at risk, but aging cement means
that every single one of the tens of millions of abandoned wells worldwide has the potential for
ecological disaster,” (Kotler 2015). After all these aspects are understood through complete
studies, then the methodology used in this research project could be implemented to determine
what wells should be plugged first. Until then, this methodology can be used as an estimate at
least to assist in deciding what wells could be plugged first.
Figure 9
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References
DEP. The Well Plugging Program. DEP. Retrieved on 5/5/15 from
http://files.dep.state.pa.us/OilGas/BOGM/BOGMPortalFiles/AbandonedOrphanWells/WellPluggi
ngProgram.pdf.
Detrow, Scott. October 10, 2012. Perilous Pathways: Behind The Staggering Number Of
Abandoned Wells In Pennsylvania. State Impact. Retrieved from
http://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvania/2012/10/10/perilous-pathways-behind-the-staggering-
number-of-abandoned-wells-in-pennsylvania/.
Kotler, Steven. March 19, 2015. Planet Sludge: Millions of Abandoned, Leaking Natural Gas and
Oil Wells to Foul Our Future. Eco Zine. Retrieved from http://ecohearth.com/eco-zine/green-
issues/1609-abandoned-leaking-oil-wells-natural-gas-well-leaks-disaster.html.
31. Address | 204 Briarwood, Indiana, PA 15701 Phone | 814.246.8157
Worldwide Mangrove
Distribution
By Jared Burkett
33. 33
Mangroves are an intrinsic feature of the entire planet’s ecosystem. As seen in Figure 1,
mangroves are a widespread species in the tropic and sub tropic regions. Mangroves are woody
bushes that grow along coastal regions. They thrive in an environment that is inhospitable to most
plant and animal species. A mangrove can live in an anaerobic environment where other plant’s roots
could not survive due to the soil lacking oxygen. They are adapted to live in salt water by filtering the
water from the salt through various means. Some pull salt from the absorbed water and place it in
specific leaves sacrificed for the health of the plant. Other species excrete the salt from the back of
their leaves, as seen in Figure 2, or store the salt in their bark. Others yet have a filtration system to
Retrievedfromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove
34. 34
filter the fresh water from the ocean water from the start. This is what sets them apart from most
vegetation.
The mangrove’s physical structure is unique as well. The mangrove
sends long tubular roots into the sand or mud of a salt water or brackish
water system, which stabilize them from the crashing surf and erosion
forces. The majority of the leaves are held up high above the tide line on
a system of tubular aerial roots. These same roots assist in gas
exchange. The mangrove can endure high heat and even cushion shock
from storm systems that would otherwise decimate the coastal region.
They are also important for a vast array of wildlife.
Mangrove systems afford many species a place of sanctuary. A
multitude of marine fish use the complex system of roots as a hatchery
or a nursery after the fish have already hatched and seek the mangroves
for refuge. The fry reside in the mangrove root cover and feed on insects
and plant life until they overgrow their home and take to the open seas.
Many species of birds use the mangroves as nesting places or winter
roosting places for migratory flocks. Figures 3a and 3b illustrate a
sample of the life that resides in the forests of the most prolific of Florida
mangrove species, the red mangrove.
The largest concentration of mangroves in the United States is in
Florida. Figure 4 maps all four mangrove species’ major distribution sites.
However, most of the world’s mangroves are concentrated elsewhere. Following Figure 4 is a detailed
selection of continental scaled maps of the major mangrove distribution sites.
Retrievedfromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mangrove
Figure 2
36. 36
Only four species of mangroves
are found in the United States
(Mangrove Action Project). The
four species are the red
mangrove, the black mangrove,
the white mangrove, and the
buttonwood. Mangrove
shoreline distribution is
illustrated below.
Figure 3b
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A closer view of the mangrove
forest distribution for the
Americas can be seen here.
The North and South American
mangrove forests in the top 15
most mangrove rich countries
are:
#3 Brazil - 7% of world
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A closer view of the mangrove
forest distribution for Africa can be
seen here. The African mangrove
forests in the top 15 most
mangrove rich countries are:
#5 Nigeria – 4.7% of world
mangroves
#12 Guinea Bissau – 2.5% of
world mangroves
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A closer view of
the mangrove
forest distribution
for Asia can be
seen here. The
Asian mangrove
forests in the top
15 most mangrove
rich countries are:
#1 Indonesia –
22.6% of world
mangroves
#6 Malaysia –
3.7% of world
mangroves
#7 Myanmar
(Burma) – 3.6% of
world mangroves
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A closer view of the
mangrove forest distribution
for Australia can be seen
here. The Australian
mangrove forests are also in
the top 15 most mangrove
rich countries in the world. Its
percentage is:
#2 Australia – 7.1% of world
mangroves
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Country Rank Country Name Area (in ha) % of global total
1 Indonesia 3,112,989 22.6
2 Australia 977,975 7.1
3 Brazil 962,683 7.0
4 Mexico 741,917 5.4
5 Nigeria 653,669 4.7
6 Malaysia 505,386 3.7
7 Myanmar (Burma) 494,584 3.6
8 Papua New Guinea 480,121 3.5
9 Bangladesh 436,570 3.2
10 Cuba 421,538 3.1
11 India 368,276 2.7
12 Guinea Bissau 338,652 2.5
13 Mozambique 318,851 2.3
14 Madagascar 278,078 2.0
15 Philippines 263,137 1.9
The significance of mangroves worldwide is important, yet only 6.9% of them are protected
in the existing protected areas (Giri, 2011). It is important to understand their distribution
first before any conservation methods can be developed.
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Mangroves are more important than science has previously realized. A report on the carbon trapping
abilities of the mangrove entitled Not all mangroves are identical; New study reveals hotspots for
mangrove biomass states how significant their carbon storage is compared to other plant life:
Like all plants, mangroves capture carbon dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere and store it in
their leaves, roots and trunks (their biomass), and in the soil. But unlike most other forests,
mangrove soils do not have a maximum storage capacity, but continuously keep on storing
carbon in the soil, where it can be stored for centuries or even millennia. In this way, mangroves
actively contribute to mitigating climate change, by continuously removing greenhouse gases
from the atmosphere (Wetlands).
Another study states the consequences of mangrove forest destruction, “Rapid loss rates, combined
with high carbon values means that, despite their small extent, mangroves may contribute 10% of total
carbon emissions from deforestation,” (Hutchinson 2014, 233).
According to the Hutchinson study, Thailand should have a high density of mangrove forests but most
have been removed. The study states that the country of Thailand will benefit greatly by reintroducing
the mangrove forests to yield high carbon benefits.
The following map details the low distribution of mangrove forests in Java, Indonesia. After that, a map
of the most pristine mangrove forests in the world, those found in the country of Gabon, Africa, and
other valuable and healthy mangrove habitats found in the Sundarbans and the Mekong Delta are
illustrated.
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References
Duke, N. C., Meynecke, J. O., Dittmann, S., Ellison, A. M., Anger, K., Berger, U., ... & Dahdouh-Guebas, F. (2007). A world without
mangroves?. Science, 317(5834), 41-42.
Giri, C, E. Ochieng, L.L.Tienszen, Zhu, A. Singh, T. Loveland, J. Masek, N. Duke. (2011). Status and distribution of mangrove forests
of the world using earth observation satellite data. Global Ecology and Biogeography. 20, 154-159.
Hutchison, J., Manica, A., Swetnam, R., Balmford, A. and Spalding, M. (2014), Predicting Global Patterns in Mangrove Forest
Biomass. Conservation Letters, 7: 233–240. doi: 10.1111/conl.12060
Kathiresan, K., & Bingham, B. L. (2001). Biology of mangroves and mangrove ecosystems. Advances in marine biology, 40, 81-251.
Lugo, A. E., & Snedaker, S. C. (1974). The ecology of mangroves. Annual review of ecology and systematics, 39-64.
Mangrove Action Project. Retrieved from http://mangroveactionproject.org
Wetlands. Not all mangroves are identical; new study reveals hotspots for mangrove biomass. Wetlands. Retrieved from
http://www.wetlands.org/News/tabid/66/ID/3503/Not-all-mangroves-are-identical-new-study-reveals-hotspots-for-mangrove-
biomass.aspx
71. Address | 204 Briarwood, Indiana, PA 15701 Phone | 814.246.8157
Five essays that describe thought and
philosophy in Geography and Regional
Planning.
72. Address | 204 Briarwood, Indiana, PA 15701 Phone | 814.246.8157
Structuralists versus Structurationists
uiding principles and laws determine what we do and what actions we take. This
structure is a product of nature, nurture, and modern society. Understanding the
underpinning structure of our actions will be the key to understanding human thought,
action, and feeling. This is what Structuralists believe and the basis for varied concepts in the
field of thought.
An example of a Structuralist thought is that of Marxism. Marxism in geography focuses on the
actions of humans as driven by an overarching theme of economic gain. This may not be an
obvious intention but is a result of the capitalist society we live in. This line of thought is used to
explain why humans exploit other humans and natural resources to reach economic prosperity.
Marxist Geography highlights the inequalities created by capitalism. The structure promoting the
inequalities is exposed and underscored so as to affect change.
The article The political ecology of peasant-herder conflicts in the northern Ivory Coast by Bassett
(2013) discusses, from a Marxist perspective, the conditions of the economic plight of village
farmers along the Ivory Coast. A situational description is needed to understand the approach.
In need of capital gains, the government decided to increase exportation of goods, one being
beef. Nomadic cattle ranching was the best outlet to reach their goals. The existing nomadic
ranchers were unable to keep up with the demand and increased their production by expansion.
This would necessitate their encroaching on the local village farms whose crops would often get
damaged by the cattle. An outraged villager had no recourse, and even if compensated, the
impediments were substantial to the regions viability. The government would not amend policies;
capital was driving their actions. The article’s Marxist perspective made bare the fallacies of the
greedy who neglected either the humans in need or those harmed at the expense of the capitalist
structure. Bassett (2013) mentioned the harm done to the villagers but little research was
conducted concerning their world and the effects this had on their livelihood or psyche.
Cresswell (2013) states, “A Structuralist identifies a set of things that exist in the world and
generate actions and beliefs. Often these are presented as dualisms – pairs of opposites that,
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together, define the way the world is,” (208). This pair of opposites described above is the human
agent and the structure that underpins our society.
There is a camp of thought, whose heritage is based in Human Geography, where the agent has
power to determine actions, in essence have control over their own destinies. This line of thought
contradicted Structuralists. An answer to this feud arose to quell the feud between Agency and
Structuralist, that of Structurationism. Humanists did not like how Structuralists claimed a
structure established the parameters in which a human agent could exercise their independent
actions. Structurationist theory relieved that tension by deeming social structures as the medium
and product of human agency. The products are occurring frequently and daily and are thus the
underpinnings of our being.
This insight quelled the rival views satisfactorily as a whole but was still met with ridicule. The
widely popular, or at least notorious, Marxist approach garnered little respect with the new dual
approach. It also was criticized as being impossible and unwieldy to lump two polar views
together, that of the Humanists and the Structuralists. This also didn’t work as evident in
Structurationists’ research where they continued to favor either one side of the spectrum or the
other. Structurationism also defies the original views of the opposing group, the Agent and the
Structuralist, by not giving full value to human agency’s ability to think creatively. It also does not
acknowledge actions tied to habitual daily activities, the Structuralist’s view that many structures
are a result of autonomous actions.
Many rejected the concept due to these fallacies but this gave precedence to newer philosophies
of Geography later on. Poststructuralism and other future ideas could try to satiate the
inadequacies of the previous perspectives.
74. Address | 204 Briarwood, Indiana, PA 15701 Phone | 814.246.8157
References
Bassett, T., (1988). The political ecology of peasant-herder conflicts in the northern Ivory Coast.
Annals, Association of American Geographers, 78, 453-472.
Cresswell, T., (2013). Geographic Thought: A Critical Introduction. Critical Introductions to
Geography, Chichester, West Sussex, UL: Wiley-Blackwell.
75. Address | 204 Briarwood, Indiana, PA 15701 Phone | 814.246.8157
Structuralism versus Marxism: critique and differentiation
between the two approaches
he most clearly Structuralist approach in geography is Marxism. Therefore, it is evident
that Structuralism encompasses other disciplines such as linguistics, anthropology, and
literary theory and criticism. The key to understanding Marxism…we must first
understand Structuralism.
The premise of Structuralism is that there is an overarching structure that describes human
behavior and elements of society. When that is understood there is an understanding of how
humans think, feel, and perceive. This structure can be illustrated in the linguistic use of
Structuralism.
Any instance of talking is a string of words selected from a bank of millions that relay a thought,
often even using new slang vocabulary to reinvent that thought. The new vocabulary word is
often still understood, though you might not have ever encountered that slang word before. The
underpinning structure that allows us all to speak effectively and communicate the same ideas
are the rules of grammar.
Structuralism in Geography has more than one approach. Time Geography uses time and space
as the structure to describe human behavior and human reaction to space and place. This offers
geographers a way to provide contextual explanation to describe processes in a particular space.
Structuration theory has the same ideas as structuralism but takes a dual approach combined
with a Humanist approach, that of the human agent, and prioritizes ontology over epistemology.
The structure isn’t a solid concept but a process that permeates everyday life and is expressed
by human action during daily activities.
Marxism in geography describes an economic structure that underpins our society as describing
and determining human actions. It is a geographic retort to the societal issues identified in the
mid 21st century and a response to capitalistic ideals. The approach identifies the inequality in
society due to economic exploitation and the exploitation of the environment for economic gains.
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A case study would pertinently illustrate the Marxist approach, and define its structure at the same
time. Merrifield (1993) makes this structure apparent in his article describing the condition of the
American Can factory. It details the capitalist underpinnings of the idea to repurpose the American
Can factory in Baltimore to a new residential complex. The long-standing factory in the community
had shaped the culture and people there, leading them to form long-term attachments to the
building.
The article describes the condition, “Abject and forgotten, these derelict structures were relegated
to the junkyard of a seemingly archaic Fordist industrial era. However, by the mid-1960s there
was already an awareness that these redundant industrial relics - and the dock-related spaces of
the 'Inner Harbor' especially - were becoming ripe for renewal and that they could be
comprehensively revalorized for a range of 'higher order' uses,” (Merrifield, 1993).
Merrifield discusses the economic disparity of the residents near American Can and how the
redevelopment would displace them from their homes. The capitalist ideal is identified as the
culprit to the local population’s lack of wealth and pointed out how the rich would get richer and
the poor would not benefit. The cultural relationship the people had to the area and the culture
created by the long-standing employer of American Can was also identified, which is intrinsic to
the Marxist approach in geography.
Herod (1991) describes a political element to the Marxist economic geographies that permeate
deindustrialization. Economic exploitation of American automobile manufacturing is largely
political and gives no credence to the effected populace, but rather bolsters the favor of politicians
with the richest corporations. This article has all the tenets of a Marxist Geography approach.
Herod (1991) details a spatial element inherent in all economic geographies. Evaluation of
maximization of profits often has a geographically weighted spatial analysis. Therefore, due to
the economic and spatial components discussed, inference must dictate that the Marxist approach
has spatial components.
Clearly Marxism in Geographic thought is a key subset in structuralism as seen by identifying the
underlying economic structure that permeates society and affects humanity. Structuralism lends
more to the field of geography than the few mentioned in this essay. Structuralist thought evolved
over time to a model better able to describe the conditions of the time, Poststructuralism.
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References
Merrifield, A., (1993). The struggle over place: redeveloping American Can in southeast
Baltimore, Transactions, Institute of British Geographers, 18, 102-121.
Herod, A., (1991). Local political practice in response to a manufacturing plant closure.
Antipode, 23, 385-402.
78. Address | 204 Briarwood, Indiana, PA 15701 Phone | 814.246.8157
The Difference Between Space and Place
pace and place may seem synonymous to the laymen but the two diverge in meaning for
Geographers. Space is occupied by an area and has spatial coordinates to identify
location. Space is measured by distance and is thought of in terms of relationships
between points. Place has a far deeper meaning and occasionally somewhat of a metaphysical
inference. Place is defined by the people using it. Place is their home. It holds their heritage. It
has character and substance. Place is important for means other than those measured
economically. Due to these incalculable measures that qualify what place is, we must use
literature of other academics to define and delineate space and place.
The article Place and space: A Lefebvrian reconciliation describes the dualist nature of space and
place as being intrinsic to each other, two parts that make the whole. These parts at the same
time are heterogeneous because the idea of place stems from a humanistic study that defies
quantification and views things ontologically whereas space stems from a spatial science
examination focusing on a systematic epistemological approach.
Community, Place and Cyberspace discusses the evolution of consumer used internet based
technology leading to a decline in human spatial interaction. This would infer that humans are
neglecting traditional interactions with place, but that is not the case. Traditional use of space has
changed and to balance polarity, place has countered the lack of humanity by appealing to our
intrinsic need to be with people. “‘Geography’, in the simple sense of place-to-place differences,
is becoming more, not less, important,” (D. J. Walmsley, 2000).
Place is an important component to human civilization. Place is what differentiates one town from
the next. The local customs, culture, features, and human interactions that occur in a location are
what give credence to place. When a person is looking for a place to live they most likely notice
the items that define place foremost because they are what draws humans. The relationships
between a certain look or differentiation from another town are what draw people based on their
feelings of that thing and their past interactions with it.
An example can be seen in the town of Solvang California. The town is an early 21st century
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Dutch settlement where the immigrants decided to recreate their homeland. The iconic town has
all the styling and architectural elements that defined their original place in Europe. The place
was so important to them that they recreated that in their new home. This is now a favored place
for others that are not immigrants from Europe. They have some connection and affinity for the
pocket of culture that is in Solvang and give it a meaning and place.
The article The Struggle over Place: Redeveloping American Can in Southeast Baltimore is a
review of the possible gentrification impact associated with converting the American Can
Company located at the Baltimore Harbor area in Maryland. The Can Company had been
operating for over a hundred years. Generations of families have strong ties toward the building,
and thus, this locational space has place. It is no longer an easy feat to simply tear down the
structure or even remodel the existing one.
The article acutely indicates the heart of contention, “What is of further importance here is that
this lived, everyday life space (occurring in place) not only 'embraces the loci of passion, of action
and of lived situations' (Lefebvre, p. 42), it also implies a certain experience of time; one that
contrasts markedly with the temporal dynamics of the hegemonic conceived space. This, as we
shall see later, has vital consequences for actual struggles over place,” (Merrifield, 1993).
It is evident that the differentiation between space and place is difficult to initially grasp. The
confusion most likely lies with the varied and often use of the words. However, through a
geographically weighted discussion, space and place are clearly distinct from one another but yet
intrinsically tied.
80. Address | 204 Briarwood, Indiana, PA 15701 Phone | 814.246.8157
References
Massey, D., (1993). Power- geometry and a progressive sense of place. in J. Bird (ed) Mapping
the Futures: Local Cultures, Global Change (Routledge).
Merrifield, A., (1993). The struggle over place: redeveloping American Can in southeast
Baltimore. Transactions, Institute of British Geographers 18, 102-121.
Merrifield, A., (1993). Place and space: A Lefebvrian reconciliation, Transactions, Institute of
British Geographers, 18, 516-531.
Smith, S., (1993), Bounding the Borders: claiming space and making place in rural Scotland.
Transactions, Institute of British Geographers, 18, 291-308.
Walmsley, D. J., (2000). Community, Place and Cyberspace. University of New England,
Australia Australian Geographer, 31 (1), 5–19.
81. Address | 204 Briarwood, Indiana, PA 15701 Phone | 814.246.8157
GIS in the Geographic tradition hierarchy
eographic Information Systems is considered by some to be a geographic science.
Others contend that it is just a valuable device to augment spatial arguments in
geographic thought and research. But what defines geography? Many disciplines
could consume most of the work Geographers do. No discipline other than geography has a
spatial component as part of their discipline. Subsequently, if Spatial Science is intrinsic to
geography and is so needed that we garnish from all other disciplines, then the analytic software
that offers researchers to make spatial relationships is surely tantamount to the discipline.
A Spatial Science and quantitative revolution swept through the earth, as the technology age
made use of the computational power of computers. Political climates fueled the space age and
a technological revolution, and at the same time popularized a Spatial Science geographic
tradition. As computers were introduced into the home and the value of computers were realized,
a new wave of geographic tradition was spawned, the use of spatial analysis software.
GIS software yields least net effort to accomplish time consuming and difficult calculations to find
spatial relations. Its value as a tool in Geography is evident by Ringrose (1996). The research
conducted made use of GIS and remote sensing to identify the changing vegetation in the
savanna of Botswana. This research focused heavily on Spatial Science to achieve understanding
on ecologic matters and to provide information to policy makers to make effective change.
Another instance where GIS was used to augment geographic research is in the article by Aitken
(1991), A cross-section regression analysis of residential water demand in Melbourne, Australia.
This regression analysis could be accomplished using a variety of statistical software and even
by hand. The research was aided by graphical representations of their findings using GIS
software. This could be accomplished with antiquated cartographic tools by hand; however, time
would be ill spent on this endeavor when the vastly superior computational power of computers
can run a spatial comparison operating a user-friendly graphical interface.
The advent of ease-of-use systems accessible to a larger population has prompted a debate on
the ethics of information handling and the inequality of those who developed the systems and who
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use them. Pickles (1995) details implications of having the majority of users being white males.
This can potentiate class struggle and inequalities. The power information has on society is
immense and Pickles discerns that the average map-reader does not second-guess the accuracy
of the information. A viral map circulating on the Internet illustrates this by showing how most
maps do not accurately display the size of Africa, but rather dramatically exaggerate the size of
the Western World. This may not have been intentional or done out of superiority to race, but
nevertheless aptly demonstrates how a cartographer has power. During times of social distress
in a society, sensationalism can quickly run rampant, inaccurately displaying facts to deleteriously
reach a goal. When only one gender of one ethnicity are primary users, it raises concern for those
that could be affected in hypothetical times of angst.
Pickles (1995) reflects on the worldwide position GIS has in society, especially as a geographer.
He states:
…the emergence of GIS as both a disciplinary practice and a socially embedded
technology represents an important change in the way in which the geographical is
being conceptualized, represented, and materialized in the built environment. As
both a system for information processing and for the creation and manipulation of
spatial images, and as a technology which is diffusing rapidly through the
apparatuses of the state and the organs of business, GIS requires a critical theory
reflecting sustained interrogation of the ways in which the use of technology and its
products reconfigure broader patterns of cultural, economic, or political relations,
and how, in so doing, they contribute to the emergence of new geographies.
The importance GIS has on our life is evident. The position it has in the field of geography is
situated so that it plays an integral part in all research and in fact theoretically all disciplines. Being
such a prolific and influential tool it stands to reason that a field of study could exist solely to
research the complexities and potentiation of GIS.
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References
Aitken, C. et al, (1991). A cross- section regression analysis of residential water demand in
Melbourne, Australia. Applied Geography, 11, 157- 165.
Pickles, P., (1995). Representations in an Electronic Age: Geography, GIS, and Democracy.
Ground Truth: The Social Implications of Geographic Information Systems. New York:
The Guilford Press, pp. 1-30.1
Ringrose, S. et al, (1996). The use of integrated remotely sensed and GIS data to determine
causes of vegetation cover change in southern Botswana. Applied Geography, 16, 225-
242.
84. Address | 204 Briarwood, Indiana, PA 15701 Phone | 814.246.8157
How can ‘Planning’, in practice, benefit from understanding:
behavioral and humanist philosophies, structure and agency,
ideas of place and space, and the use of GIS in contemporary
society?
n Urban or Regional Planner is a master of nuance and mediation. A planner has to
fulfill the needs of elected officials, community members, government agents all while
balancing varied tasks and projects in keeping with numerous budgets. A planner must
be a great communicator and strategist. They must have a wide and varied knowledge to be able
to meet all the needs of the parties that they serve. It is obvious through this reasoning that a
planner would immensely benefit from understanding knowledge disseminated from varied
geographic approaches because planning stems from that history of academia.
The article, On Planning the Ideology of Planning (Harvey, 1985) explains in depth how to define
the planning process. It states that the planner must know how everything relates to everything
else within communities. For the planner to produce the best results in a capitalist system, they
must keep the interests of every party in mind, thus having knowledge of the complex interaction
of all community aspects. The best decision or action still requires the planner to justify and
legitimize their actions to the public and prove their logic. The process employed by planners out
of necessity to complete the job is employing many of the ideologies of the geographic
philosophies used through time, up to the present.
A planner would do well to learn the ideals of a Humanist. There are people in the community
that are solely focused on how the planning activities will primarily benefit the people in their town.
They want to help the small business owner, help keep their neighbors employed and keep the
environment clean.
Humanists have a strong deference to place over space as well. Place is the human connection
and interaction with a location. It has a broad philosophy of human meaning, an existential
element, as well as a phenomenological one. Place is the essence that is that town or region. A
human connects with a place through emotional reactions based on preferences or positive
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experiences. Place is what defines a location from another. Space is a geographic coordinate.
It is the location in relation to another location. It is quantifiable and computational.
Though Humanistic ideals would benefit the regional planner, so would the contradictory view,
the Structuralists’ ideology. Economic benefits are essential to keeping a town in operation. A
planner must learn concepts that are tantamount to that facet of their discipline. The multimodal
corridor will offer a sense of place but it will also promote economic stimulus to the local business
when bike enthusiasts pass through the business center of town. Viewing a Marxist ideology will
assist a planner in understanding the structural underpinnings of capitalism and the driving force
and seat of motivation for business owners, but it will also assist the planner in foreseeing crises
and disparity in a community caused by solely economic driven planning. Identifying all theoretical
concepts and their past results offer modern planner valuable insight and discernment on how to
articulate their planning objectives.
Spatial Science is valuable to the planner as well. The quantifiable relationships that spatial
science can give are vastly beneficial. It can be argued that it is solely a tool for the professional
and not a science in itself but regardless of that argument, there are vast uses of GIS to assist a
planer in making the best planning choices.
Ringrose (1996) illustrated in her research article an example of how GIS can benefit planning
practices. The article describes research using remote sensing and GIS to discover the condition
and cause of the changing savanna in Botswana. A change in vegetation prompted the study
with an end goal in identifying the culprit. This would enable the government officials to enact
change in the planning efforts at a national level. The results indicated that the increase in
livestock has a deleterious effect on the grass. The swiftly increasing goat population also
increased the damage to the grass and gave rise to woody scrub. Though this may seem like a
conclusion easily drawn by logic, the research using GIS proved the primary causes in a quantified
data set that offered information that would allow the researchers to draw conclusions. Then the
policy makers would be disseminated the knowledge and hopefully act wisely in their planning
efforts.
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It is evident that planning practices benefit from past geographic thought. For a planner to be
successful, the varied knowledge that geographic approaches offer will assist the planner to be
effective in maintaining harmony for all vested parties while planning for their communities.
87. Address | 204 Briarwood, Indiana, PA 15701 Phone | 814.246.8157
References
Harvey, D., (1985). On Planning the Ideology of Planning. The Urbanization of Capital, John
Hopkins University Press, 165 – 184.
Ringrose, S. et al, (1996). The use of integrated remotely sensed and GIS data to determine
causes of vegetation cover change in southern Botswana. Applied Geography, 1.
