The Economic Geography of Lincolnway Field Study

The objectives of this activity are as follows:

1.  To help you understand how economic geography relates to your everyday life.

2.  To understand more about how “invisible” economic processes become visible in the urban landscape.

3.  To help you develop skills in observation, mapping, analysis, and collaboration.

4.  To illustrate the concepts of agglomeration, accessibility, and relative location.  

Resources to Bring/or Provided

Colored pencils/pens, pencil, Basemaps and Air Photos of Lincolnway area, a notebook to record notes, sunglasses, comfortable waking shoes, a hat.

Assignment

Students will work together in groups to produce a classification scheme for and sketch map of land uses along the Lincolnway corridor in Valparaiso.  Students will also offer hypotheses about why these land uses are located where they are, both in relation to each other and in relation to the larger city.  They will also offer hypotheses about changes in the relative location and accessibility of the Lincolnway corridor. 

You will need to split up your section of the corridor among your group members so that you can get the inventory done fast (question 1).  Once you are done with that find a place—probably on campus—to discuss questions 2 and 3 and come up with a classification scheme. 

For this field study I want you to focus on the following questions.

1.  What land uses are located along your section of Lincolnway and where are they located?  For this question you will need to produce a sketch map that inventories all of the land uses along your section of Lincolnway.  What are the names of the businesses?  What do they sell or what service do they provide?  We are mainly interested in the businesses along the road, but we are also interested in recording other land uses.  Be sure to also note any residential or civic land uses as well as land that does not appear to be in use (vacant lots or abandoned businesses or houses).  The map and list of land uses that you produce for this question will be important for answering the next question. 

2.  What generalizations can you make about the types of land uses located along Lincolnway?  Here you will need to take your list of businesses and land uses and see if you can figure out a classification scheme to make generalizations about the types of businesses located along Lincolnway.  For example, if you observe a family restaurant, a sandwich shop, and a pizza parlor you might classify those as restaurants. 

3.  Where are different types of land-uses located along Lincolinway?  For this question you need to produce a second sketch map focusing on types of land uses rather than on specific land uses.

4. Why are the businesses that you found here located in this area?  How do factors of agglomeration and relative location affect the businesses that are located in the area?  What signs of agglomeration do you see in the Lincolnway corridor?  That is are there any businesses or other land uses that seem to have located in this area that gain advantages from clustering together?  What factors in the surrounding area make this an advantageous relative location for the types of businesses found here?

5.  How is the relative location of this section of Lincolnway changing?  To what degree do you see changes in the advantages of this location for particular types of businesses in relation to other locations in the city? 

6.  To what extent do you believe the relative accessibility of this location in comparison to other locations around town may be contributing to the changes you identified in the previous question?  How accessible is this location?  What is traffic like?  How easy is it to get to the businesses along this stretch of Lincolnway using various modes of transport (car, bike, pedestrian). 

7.  What could be done to improve the accessibility of this location?  In your groups and individually brainstorm some things that could be done in this area of the city to improve its accessibility and therefore change the advantages of this corridor relative to other places in the city. 

Execution of the Field Study

You will work in groups during class to produce the initial map, the classification scheme, and the land-use map.  You should make your own version of the group’s sketch maps to take home and refer to.  Between classes you will need to individually answer questions 4-7 in 1-3 page typewritten format to be handed in at the next class period. You should directly answer the questions rather than use an essay format.  In class on Monday you will again gather with your group and share the results of your individual analysis in preparation for a group presentation to the class.  Your presentation will introduce your (second) map of land use types (I will copy these to an overhead transparency if needed), will discuss some of the advantages of the location in terms of agglomeration and its location relative to surrounding land uses, as well as comment on changes in relative location and accessibility.  It will include with recommendations about ways to make the location more accessible and therefore more advantageous. 

Your grade on this project will consist of a grade on your individual report as well as upon your group presentation in class and participation in the activity.

 Sketch Map of Lincolnway.  A Bigger version will be provided to you on Friday.