Why are Different Places Similar?

Scale from Local to Global

Globalization  Force or process that involves the entire world and results in making something worldwide in scope  Economic decisions in one area are influenced by interaction with decision makers located elsewhere

Transnational Corporation Conducts research, operates factories and sells products in many countries

TN:Corp: Technological ability to move money Major centers: New York, London and Tokyo

TN Corp: remain competitive by ID optimal location for activities Globalization has heightened economic differences among places

Every place in the world is part of the global economy but globalization has led to more specialization at the local level

Uniform cultural preferences produce uniform global landscapes Of material artifacts and of cultural values

Globalization of cultural beliefs and forms

Globalization requires a form of common communication

Yet cultural differences among places not only persist but flourish

Strong determination on the part of a group to retain its traditions Can lead to intolerance of people who display other beliefs, social forms and material traits

Space time compression Reduction in time it takes for something to reach another place

Spatial interaction  Historically interaction required physical movement of settlers  Now interaction through networks transportation, communication etc.  Typically the farther away one group is from another the less likely interaction: distance decay

Diffusion: process by which a characteristic spreads From one place to another over time

Diffusion  Place from which innovation originates is called a hearth  Relocation diffusion: spread of an idea through physical movement of people  Expansion Diffusion: spread of a feature from one place to another in a snowballing process

Expansion Diffusion  Hierarchical: Spread of idea from persons or nodes of authority or power to other persons or places  Contagious: rapid, widespread diffusion of a characteristic throughout the population  Stimulus: Spread of an underlying principle even though a characteristic itself fails to diffuse

Global culture and economy centered on three hearth regions  North America, Western Europe and Japan  Large % of world’s advanced technology, capital to invest and wealth to purchase  Command centers in New York, London and Tokyo.

Periphery or outer edge  Africa, Asia and Latin America  ¾ of world’s population and nearly all growth  Decisions made by transnational corporations.  Global economy has produced greater disparities than in the past between core and periphery: uneven development

Space: distribution of features Actions at one point in space can results from something happening at another point

Distribution: arrangement of a feature in space Distribution: arrangement of a feature in space  Density: frequency with which something occurs in space  Concentration: the extent of a feature’s spread over space clustered/dispersed  Pattern: the geometric arrangement of objects in space

Gender and Ethnic diversity in Space Also effects of race on spatial interaction