A Mapping of the Twentieth-Century Urban Geography in North America Using Written Narratives and Network Analysis

Abstract

Exploring the intellectual heritage of urban geography in North America (UGNA) is a valuable but daunting challenge. One practical way is to mine the written narratives about its key figures and to map the pattern of their interconnections within a historical and institutional context. Urban Geography in America, 1950–2000: Paradigms and Personalities, a book edited by Berry and Wheeler, permits such an approach. In this book, twenty-five authors primarily documented their study, research, and career experiences. Using the ties among these authors along with those who influenced their research, this article discovers, maps, and interprets the interconnections among notable U.S. urban geographers. These ties were constructed as a social network, and network analysis techniques were applied to examine the structure of the community as well as the evolution of the discipline. This analysis presents a particular view on the roles that individuals, programs, and periods played in the development of twentieth-century UGNA. Explicitly mapping the UGNA community helps geography students and scholars better understand the discipline’s intellectual heritage, historical landscape, and evolutionary trajectory.

探索北美城市地理学（UGNA）的知识遗产, 是一项宝贵但艰巨的挑战。一种切实可行的方法是挖掘对关键人物的书面叙述, 并在历史背景和体制背景下对这些人物之间关系的模式进行制图。贝里和惠勒编辑的《美国城市地理, 1950-2000：范例和个性》, 提供了这种书面叙述。在本书中, 25位作者记录了他们的学习、研究和职业经历。根据作者们的关联、影响这些作者的人, 本文发掘、绘制并解释了美国著名城市地理学家之间的联系。本文将这些联系构建为社会网络, 用网络分析技术研究了群体结构以及学科的演变。针对个人、学科和年代在二十世纪UGNA发展中所起的作用, 本文提出了一种特殊观点。绘制UGNA群体地图, 有助于地理学生和学者更好地了解学科的知识遗产、历史景观和演变轨迹。

Explorar la herencia intelectual de la geografía urbana en Norteamérica (UGNA) es un reto tan valioso como desalentador. Una forma práctica de hacerlo es extraer las narrativas escritas sobre sus figuras cimeras y trazar el patrón de sus interconexiones dentro de un contexto histórico e institucional. La geografía urbana en Norteamérica, 1950-2000: Paradigmas y personalidades, un libro editado por Berry y Wheeler, permite ese enfoque. En este libro, veinticinco autores documentaron principalmente sus estudios, investigación y experiencias profesionales. Usando los vínculos entre estos autores junto con los que influyeron en sus investigaciones, este artículo descubre, mapea e interpreta las interconexiones entre notables geógrafos urbanos americanos. Tales vínculos se construyeron como una red social, y se aplicaron técnicas de análisis para examinar la estructura de la comunidad, lo mismo que la evolución de la disciplina. Este análisis presenta una particular visión de los roles desempeñados por individuos, programas y períodos en el desarrollo de la UGNA del siglo XX. Mapear explícitamente la comunidad UGNA ayuda a los estudiantes y académicos de la geografía a comprender mejor la herencia intelectual de la disciplina, el paisaje histórico y la trayectoria evolutiva.

Key Words:

• disciplinary history
• network analysis
• urban geography in North America
• written narratives

关键词：:

• 学科史
• 网络分析
• 北美城市地理学
• 书面叙述。

Palabras clave::

• análisis de redes
• geografía urbana en Norteamérica
• historia disciplinar
• narrativas escritas

Acknowledgments

I thank the editor, Professor Heejun Chang, for suggesting the discussion of the gender inequality issue. The author deeply appreciates the two anonymous reviewers for their insightful and constructive comments. One was particularly encouraging and supportive, and the other critically read the article and helped improve its clarity. Special thanks also go to John S. Adams, Professor Emeritus, for his detailed comments on an earlier draft and to Destiny Kelly for proofreading the final article. Any errors that remain are mine.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Shipeng Sun

SHIPENG SUN is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Environmental Science at Hunter College and the Earth and Environmental Sciences Program at Graduate Center, The City University of New York, New York, NY 10065. E-mail: [email protected]. His research interests include sociospatial network analysis, geovisualization, GIS algorithms, agent-based complexity modeling, human– environment systems, and urban geography.