Hidden Landscapes by Chris Thompson
Geographical Methodology as Spatialization and Topology (Part of “Theorizing Place: Interdisciplinary Trajectories” A Panel Discussion at the Canadian Association of Geographers Meeting, Carleton University, May 27, 2009):
This presentation focuses on the virtuality of place, an object of study which resists specification in material or topographic terms. In effect, place exceeds the boundaries of topography. It cannot be adequately mapped. This raises a methodological conundrum for geography which has only be solved via interdisciplinary innovation, leading geographers into the study of social and cultural categorization, and statistical analysis of spatial data. What is a geographer to do? A relational approach to ‘place’ foregrounds the tissue of geographical space and the multiple flows and passages through it. Multiple passages suggests that geography explore a multiple, n-dimensional topology as a paradigmatic shift out of Cartesian space.
Maybe geographical information systems already work in n-space, but my sense is no, and geographers think of cartography as a 3d and 2d endeavour. Any thoughts? This is a step toward a paper on topology as method for social science in the 21st century, part of my belief that at university level we should teach methodology as something evolving, to think past mastering a particular program and ask ourselves what is it for? And, how do our chosen methods guide how and what we see in our studies?
Mexico City’s water supply crisis affects about 8.8 million residents in the city proper, but the working population of the metropolitan area is closer to 18 million. The city is sinking because of the depletion of ground water aquifers.
There is no agreed definition of a climate change refugee, according to Future Floods of Refugees, a Norwegian Refugee Council report, but there is a long history of displacement due to environmental degradation. In his Guardian blog, editorialist George Monbiot and others have picked up on the planned movement of the population of the Carteret Islands (Papua New Guinea) to Bougainville Island, which lie to the northeast of Papua New Guinea (Google map).
It is reported that the low-lying coral islands are being innundated during storm tides making the subsistence gardening of their residents impossible. Dan Box plans to blog the move over the next months. Although the process has been ongoing since 2003, there are funding problems for residents who are all forced to re-establish themselves anew.
Nicolas Nova describes this as a: “Tapestry made out of old motherboards, encountered in Lisbon, Portugal. Ubicomp/urban computing to the letter.”
I’ve always thought that motherboards look like architectural models for industrial neighbourhoods, but never more so than with this one. Perhaps because it’s been painted one colour?
- Anne
These enormous scrapers, seen through a storm of dust and a late spring snow shower, are moving earth to establish a new oil sands mine.
-Andriko and Rob
Filed in Climate & environment, Globalisation, North America, Uncategorized
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Tagged , Abasand, Alberta, Fort McMurray, oil sands, oilsands, Suncor, Syncrude, tar sands
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