Vol. 31, No. 2, Fall/Winter 1993 - "Pennsylvania’s Cities and Towns"
SPATIAL INTERCONNECTIONS: A GEOGRAPHIC PERSPECTIVE
(pp. 3 - 12)
Burton 0. Witthuhn
Acting President
Western Illinois University
Macomb, Illinois
Abstract
A geographic perspective allows for description of the differences observed on the earth's surface. The resulting imposed ordering of observed phenomena allows for spatial interconnections to be established and understood. This essay helps the reader to understand how the geographic perspective enables the complexities of the observed world to be interrelated and made more clear to the human observer.
CANCER IN LEIGH VALLEY COMMUNITIES: AN EXAMPLE OF APPLIED MEDICAL GEOGRAPHY
(pp. 13 - 35)
Robert C. Ziegenfus
Department of Geography
Kutztown University
Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Abstract
Cancer deaths and rates are increasing in Pennsylvania and thus the disease now accounts for about one-quarter of all male deaths and only slightly fewer female deaths. Millions of dollars have been and will continue to be spent to curb this scourge. Medical geographers can utilize cartographic and statistical techniques to identify potential target communities with high cancer rates and thus assist public health officials in the allocation of scarce financial resources. This paper analyzes the male and female age-adjusted cancer mortality rates for the 63 minor civil divisions of Lehigh and Northampton Counties for the period 1970-1989. Both spatial and temporal trends are examined. The single most important conclusion derived from the male and female maps is that the highest cancer rates for both genders cluster in small towns. Subsequent analysis using the upper quartile of the mean rank across the time periods identified 16 MCDs for males and 17 MCDs for females where the rates were the highest overall. This grouping included small towns and large cities, with three distinct geographic clusters for females and one for males. A comparison of the male and female lists revealed seven municipalities common to both, including four small towns and three cities. These seven MCDs are the recommended targets for cancer intervention programs.
PHILADELPHIA'S PENN'S LANDING: CHANGING CONCEPTS OF THE CENTRAL RIVER FRONT
(pp. 36 - 51)
Gerald M. MacDonald
Department of Geography
Villanova University
Villanova, Pennsylvania
Abstract
Planners, city officials, and developers have been trying to develop Penn's Landing -- a 37 acre site on the Delaware River -- for more than three decades. Today, it sits little changed from the mid-1970s when some public improvements were made in order that the site could be used for the national Bicentennial celebrations. While the delays can be blamed on a variety of causes, the net impact has been to provide a window on thirty years of urban development priorities. The paper examines the development process of Penn's Landing against broader conceptual agendas driving the development activity in Philadelphia over the last three decades. What emerges are three clear regimes or concepts governing what should become of the site. The first was the planning concept emerging from the Philadelphia Planning Commission's Comprehensive Plan of 1960. It stressed public park use for the area. The second is the historic concept in which Penn's Landing was seen as closely linked with Society Hill and the Philadelphia historic district. The final regime is the Riverfront Concept, in which Penn's Landing is one (and by no means the best) parcel of developable land along the Delaware River. Here, urban recreation and leisure activities predominate.
CREATING COMMUNITIES: THE AMERICAN OLD LINE FRATERNAL ORDER
(pp. 52 - 74)
Richard H. Schein
Assistant Professor
Department of Geography
University of Kentucky
Lexington, Kentucky
Abstract
Millions of Americans had joined hundreds of fraternal orders by the end of the nineteenth century. One type of fraternal order in particular, the Old Line fraternal order, comprised benevolent, inward looking, Christian-based organizations that served their members during times of unprecedented socioeconomic upheaval. As a modern, national American culture emerged from a set of regionally-based, colonial sub-cultures, the Old Line orders eased the transition by creating: (1) horizontal communities linking their members nationwide and; (2) vertical communities grounded in individual American towns and cities. The spatial pattern of Old Line fraternal membership indicates that Pennsylvanians were among the strongest of Old Line fraternal adopters. The Pennsylvania core of Old Line fraternalism supports general speculations about the strength of a characteristic American liberal individualism in an eighteenth century Pennsylvania culture hearth.
PENNSYLVANIA PATCH TOWNS: A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF TWO 19TH CENTURY COAL MINING TOWNS
(pp. 75 - 91)
Lynn R. Sprankle
Department of Geography
Kutztown University
Kutztown, Pennsylvania
Abstract
During the latter part of the 19th century, many Pennsylvania communities were constructed at mining sites to house workers and their families. Two short-lived communities with common site characteristics were chosen for analysis. Historic population data were used to compare and contrast the selected communities. Occupations were similar, but place of origin and age structure exhibited significant differences. The age of the community appears to have had a strong influence on its population characteristics.
(pp. 92 - 104)
Lou A. Taft
Towanda High School
Abstract
Students and teachers can gain a great deal of knowledge about their community by looking at it from a geographical perspective. A framework grounded on the Five Themes of Geography provided a practical guideline for this research project on a small community of 3,500 people in the north central region of the state, Towanda, Pennsylvania. The students studied such things as the physical characteristics of the area, settlement patterns, transportation routes, availability of natural resources and architectural styles of buildings. All of this was related to the cultural and economic development of the town. These findings were organized into a fifteen minute slide show and a "Walking Tour" brochure that highlighted the economic and cultural development of the town. Through this successful project, students not only learned to think geographically, but they were able to make a permanent contribution to help others learn about their hometown.