1. Defining Spaces: Understanding regions and boundaries
Delaware Recommended Curriculum Regional Planning Course

2. Outline of topics Defining regions Types of regions
Defining boundaries
Why are regions useful and important?
How do planners use regional analysis

3. Why do people use regions? What uses can you think of?
Give the scenario of being at a large gathering (concert, park, Italian festival, lunch etc)- What are ways ppl try to define their groups space (estb boundaries and signaling group identity)
A: blanket, save seats w/jacket, clothes, music listening to

4. A region is a basic building block for geography
Just as a cell is to biology
a concept – a mental construct.
Formal definition of region- An area or division, esp. part of a country or the world having definable characteristics but not always fixed boundaries

5. To define (or establish) a region
Identify places with one or more similar characteristics
Circumscribe (draw a
line around) the area of
the earth’s surface
occupied by those
places!

6. And you have made a region!
an area of the earth’s surface that contains within it places with one or more similar characteristics
AND is separate from other areas that contain places with different characteristics

7. Easy to do!
Not so easy!

8. How is a region different from a place?
Place has to do with the qualities or attributes of a location (separated by borders)
Region has to do with the area occupied
(separated by
characteristics)

9. Some examples of regional maps
What characteristics is each classification system based on?
What kinds of data were used to generate this regionalization system?

10. Map #1

11. Map #2

12. Map #3

13. Types of regions (1-3)
Formal: defining characteristic is uniform across the entire area of the region
(Often the data is reported for the whole jurisdiction, so we can’t know the exact distribution)

15. Types of regions (1-3) Formal
Functional: (based on usage or function). The defining characteristic is strongest in the center (“core”) and declines in intensity towards the edges (“periphery”)

17. Other functional regions:
Marketing regions
Service areas for businesses
Metro areas
Sports teams fan base

18. Types of regions Formal Functional
Perceptual – based on personal beliefs – subjective rather than objective
Objective- unbiased
Subjective- biased (can’t back it up with concrete data)

20. Defining boundaries
A region cannot exist until its boundaries are defined.
Formal regions usually have definitive boundary lines. (What are the advantages and disadvantages of knowing where the line is?)

21. Do mountain peaks make good border markers?
How about rivers?
Lines of latitude have pros and cons too!

22. Over the years, the Rio Grande has changed frequently.
Does this make a good international border?
What river creates a natural boundary between the United States and Mexico?
Rio Grande

23. What continent was divided up by Europeans?
Africa
This map of Africa shows two types of boundaries:
The red lines show tribal boundaries as they existed before European colonization. The black boundaries are modern national boundaries.
What can be the result of many cultural groups within a country?

24. Defining boundaries
A region cannot exist until its boundaries are defined
Formal regions usually have definitive boundary lines.
Functional regions often have boundary zones
Core
Domain
Sphere

25. outlyers

26. Class Work
Analyze the map on the next slide or on website. Create a list of boundaries in your notebook
Answer in notebook
What characteristics or features can be observed when walking or driving?

27. Aerial Photo

28. Class Work Compare your list with the zoning map of the same area.
To what extend does actual land use match up with the zoning plan?
Zone 46 – on website

29. Checking for Understanding
Describe a property or building that has changed use.
What changes to the property were evidence of a change in use?
Was this change part of a changing boundary for the land use region? Why do you think this?