Geographies of the Future: Crash Course Geography #50

Summary

In this final episode of Crash Course Geography, host Alizé Carrère revisits core geography concepts like space, place, and human-environment interactions. The episode explores how space-time is changing in a globalized world, the blending of physical and virtual spaces, and the growing influence of data and surveillance in cities. It also highlights how places are shaped by globalization and local efforts, such as the slow city movement, and discusses the impact of human activity on the environment. The episode underscores the evolving role of geographers in understanding and shaping future landscapes.

Takeaways

• 🌍 Space-time in geography refers to how space and time are becoming interconnected, with ideas and people moving more quickly across distances.
• 📈 Globalization has compressed space and time, making the world more interconnected and influencing how we live, work, and interact globally.
• 💻 The digital world has created new virtual spaces where we can interact, even if we are physically apart, leading to complex, overlapping spaces.
• 🌆 Globalization sometimes creates a sense of 'placelessness,' where different places feel the same, but others find comfort in this familiarity.
• 🏘️ The slow city movement pushes back against globalization by focusing on local sustainability, community, and traditional rhythms.
• 🔍 Data is a powerful new force in geography, creating surveillance landscapes where information about people's movements and actions is collected.
• 🏙️ Smart cities aim to be safer and more efficient through technology but raise concerns about privacy, control, and inequality.
• 🌱 Human-environment interactions are critical in understanding the impact of human activities on ecosystems in the Anthropocene era.
• 🚀 Geoengineering, such as carbon capture and solar radiation management, shows the potential for humans to drastically alter the environment for climate control.
• 🤔 Geographers continue to explore how space, place, and human-environment interactions evolve, helping society navigate future challenges.

Q & A

What is the meaning of 'space-time' as used by geographers?

In geography, 'space-time' refers to the concept that space and time are becoming interconnected, where distances between spaces are less significant, and the time it takes for people or ideas to travel has decreased due to globalization.

How does globalization affect our concept of space?

Globalization compresses time and space by increasing the flow of ideas, goods, and people, making the world feel smaller. This leads to interconnected spaces where the physical distance matters less.

What is the role of virtual space in geography?

Virtual space has created a new dimension in geography, allowing interactions without physical proximity. It connects people globally through digital platforms, adding a new layer to how we experience space.

How does globalization influence the concept of 'place'?

Globalization links places in a global context, sometimes making different locations feel similar due to shared brands and products. However, people can still shape their places by asserting their identity and culture, preserving local uniqueness.

What is the 'slow city' movement?

The 'slow city' or 'cittaslow' movement is a grassroots response to globalization. It focuses on preserving traditional lifestyles, promoting sustainable economies, and enhancing community life by resisting the fast-paced changes of globalization.

What is surveillance capitalism, and how does it relate to geography?

Surveillance capitalism refers to the extraction of data from people's digital interactions, often for profit. In geography, this creates 'information spaces' where personal data is collected, especially in smart cities, impacting how we interact with our environment.

How are smart cities connected to the concept of space and surveillance?

Smart cities use sensors and cameras to collect data to make urban spaces more efficient and secure. However, this also leads to concerns about surveillance, as data can be used to control or marginalize certain groups.

What is geoengineering, and why is it important in geography?

Geoengineering refers to large-scale efforts to manipulate Earth's climate, like carbon capture or solar radiation management. It's important in geography because it impacts the physical environment and raises ethical questions about who controls these technologies.

What is the 'anthropocene,' and why does it matter in geography?

The anthropocene is a term used to describe the current geological era where human activities have significantly impacted Earth's ecosystems. It highlights the increasing interconnectedness of the natural and human worlds, making geography more relevant in understanding these changes.

What role do geographers play in the future of environmental management?

Geographers study the relationships between physical and social processes, helping to evaluate the consequences and benefits of environmental interventions like geoengineering, while ensuring that actions taken are just and equitable.

Outlines

00:00

🌌 Exploring Space-Time in Geography

This paragraph introduces the concept of space-time, comparing how geographers and physicists explore it. The discussion highlights how globalization has compressed time and space, making the world feel smaller and more interconnected. The author reflects on the future of geography, emphasizing the evolving relationships between spaces, places, and human-environment interactions, and introduces Alizé Carrère as the host. The segment sets the stage for exploring the impact of digital and virtual spaces on human geography, showing how technology reshapes our understanding of connectedness in the modern world.

05:02

🌐 Virtual Spaces and Global Connections

This section delves into the growing significance of virtual spaces and their impact on how we work and connect globally. It highlights the collaborative nature of the Crash Course Geography team, spread across multiple locations, illustrating the concept of relational space where physical and virtual interactions overlap. The narrative emphasizes the dynamic and interconnected nature of different spaces and discusses how this shift affects our daily lives and the evolving concept of space in geography. It reflects on how these new virtual spaces are reshaping our social interactions and perceptions of distance and place.

10:04

📍 The Future of Place in a Globalized World

The paragraph explores the concept of 'place' and how it is influenced by globalization, creating concerns about cultural homogenization. It contrasts views on the loss of unique local identities versus the adaptability of global brands to local cultures. It highlights movements like the slow city initiative, which aim to preserve traditional and local characteristics, underscoring how places are continuously evolving. This segment underscores the critical role of human choice in defining and reshaping places in a globalized world, reflecting a dynamic interplay between local identity and global influences.

📊 The Rise of Data-Driven Spaces

This section examines the impact of data and surveillance on urban and public spaces, introducing the concept of surveillance capitalism where data extraction is akin to resource extraction. It discusses the rise of smart cities and the ethical concerns around data collection and privacy, particularly for vulnerable groups. The narrative also explores the debate over open access data as a way to reclaim space and power for marginalized communities, suggesting alternative futures where data is managed as a public good rather than a privatized resource. The emphasis is on the potential benefits and drawbacks of data in shaping modern urban life.

🌳 Human-Environment Interactions in the Anthropocene

This paragraph discusses the concept of the Anthropocene, a geological era defined by human impact on Earth's ecosystems through activities like agriculture, industrialization, and urbanization. It explores geoengineering as a controversial approach to managing climate change, including methods like carbon capture and solar radiation management. The author reflects on the ethical dilemmas these interventions pose, highlighting the need for geographers to evaluate the social and spatial consequences of manipulating the environment. The section underscores the interconnectedness of human and natural worlds and the responsibility to manage these relationships thoughtfully.

🔭 Geoengineering and Ethical Dilemmas

This section expands on the ethical challenges associated with geoengineering, focusing on solar radiation management and its potential for climate manipulation by a small group of actors. It raises questions about the social and environmental justice implications of such technologies, emphasizing the need for geographers to analyze the power dynamics and consequences of these actions. The narrative suggests that as human interventions in nature grow more complex, the role of geography in assessing the impacts on both local and global scales becomes increasingly crucial, calling for a balanced and informed approach to managing the Earth’s resources.

🌍 The Dynamic Future of Geography

This final section wraps up the series by summarizing the journey through various geographical themes, from physical landscapes to human-environment interactions. It reflects on the evolving nature of geography as a field that bridges the physical and social worlds, providing insights into patterns and processes shaping our planet. The paragraph emphasizes the ongoing relevance of geography in understanding global changes, advocating for a forward-thinking approach to studying the Earth. The series concludes with a message of appreciation to the audience and an invitation to continue exploring the wonders of geography.

Keywords

💡space-time continuum

The space-time continuum refers to the concept of time and the three dimensions of space being interwoven into a single four-dimensional fabric. In the video, it's initially mentioned humorously but then connected to geography and how geographers view the relationship between space and time in a modern context, such as how ideas and people move more rapidly across distances.

💡globalization

Globalization is the process by which businesses, ideas, and other aspects of culture spread around the world, leading to increased interconnectedness and interdependence of different regions. The video discusses how globalization compresses time and space, making distant places feel closer and influencing the economic, political, social, and cultural connections between them.

💡virtual space

Virtual space refers to the digital environments created by the internet and technology, where people can interact without being physically present together. The video explains how the digital world creates new types of spaces that impact our daily lives, such as working on projects across different locations and time zones.

💡place

Place is an area within a space that holds meaning and significance for people. It encompasses more than just a physical location; it's about the human experiences and attachments associated with that location. The video discusses how places are social constructs that change over time and how globalization affects the sense of place.

💡surveillance capitalism

Surveillance capitalism is the practice of collecting and commodifying personal data through surveillance technologies. The video highlights how our interactions in urban spaces are monitored and how this data is used for profit, raising ethical questions about privacy and control.

💡smart cities

Smart cities are urban areas that use technology and data to manage resources and services efficiently. The video describes how smart cities aim to enhance safety and efficiency but also involve extensive data collection, which can lead to concerns about surveillance and privacy.

💡geoengineering

Geoengineering refers to large-scale interventions in the Earth's natural systems to combat climate change, such as carbon capture or solar radiation management. The video discusses the potential and risks of geoengineering, emphasizing the need for geographers to evaluate its impacts on the environment and society.

💡anthropocene

The Anthropocene is a proposed geological epoch that marks the significant impact of human activities on the Earth's ecosystems and geology. The video mentions how human actions like agriculture and urbanization have reshaped the planet, highlighting the relevance of geography in understanding these changes.

💡human-environment interactions

Human-environment interactions are the ways humans and the natural environment affect each other. The video explores how these interactions shape our world and are central to geographic study, especially in the context of the Anthropocene and climate change.

💡place-making

Place-making is the process of creating or maintaining spaces that are meaningful and significant to people. The video provides examples such as the slow city movement, where communities work to preserve their local character and environment in response to globalization.

Highlights

Introduction to the concept of space-time in geography and its convergence of space and time.

Discussion of how globalization compresses space and time, as mentioned by David Harvey.

Explanation of how geographies of the future will change as human-environment interactions evolve.

Overview of digital and virtual spaces and their role in human interactions and communication.

Mention of how remote collaboration is possible across global locations and time zones due to virtual spaces.

Broader discussion on how our concept of space has expanded to include various types of virtual and physical spaces.

Insight into how globalization affects local places, causing both homogenization and localization adaptations.

Exploration of the concept of 'place' as a social construct and how places are becoming interconnected globally.

Explanation of the slow city movement (Cittaslow) and its efforts to preserve local identity in a globalized world.

The concept of surveillance capitalism and how data collected in urban spaces is commercialized.

Insight into the rise of smart cities and their use of data to improve safety and efficiency, but also privacy concerns.

Discussion on how restricted access to spaces and data can limit community knowledge and create inequality.

Introduction to geoengineering and its potential impact on climate change and the manipulation of Earth’s systems.

Discussion of the Anthropocene era, where human activity has become a significant influence on Earth's ecosystems.

Reflection on the future challenges geographers will face in studying the relationships between physical and social forces.

Transcripts

Hi and welcome to Crash Course physics. Today we’re going to jump into the space-time continuum.

Just kidding! Though science fiction writers and physicists aren’t the only ones exploring  

space-time, which is when the three dimensions we see in space are represented together with time.

Geographers and physicists are both trying to describe the world and tell the stories  

of the Earth, so it makes sense that  we share some of the same vocabulary.  

As geographers when we talk about space-time, we mean more that space and time are becoming one --

the distance between different spaces doesn’t matter as much, and the time it takes  

for ideas or people to diffuse from one location to another is getting smaller and smaller.

Like in our episode on industrial  geography we talked about globalization,  

and how in a globalized world the movement, flows,  

and connections -- whether economic or political or social or cultural -- 

have made it seem like we’ve compressed time and space, as the geographer David Harvey once said.

As how we live and work changes, our  spaces, places, and human-environment  

interactions are being reorganized on every  possible scale. In this final episode,  

come with me as we start to tell the  stories of geographies of the future.

I’m Alizé Carrère, and for the last  time, this is Crash Course Geography.

INTRO

For our last episode of Crash Course Geography  it seems fitting to come full circle and revisit  

our fundamental geography tools: space, place, and  bananas -- I mean, human-environment interactions.

Throughout our journey through this series, we’ve  talked about lots of different types of space.  

But basically, space refers to all the features  and relationships that occur in a given area.

And now the digital world has created a  (somewhat) new virtual space with its own  

landscape or technoscape where we can interact  without necessarily being physically together.

Like, it takes many people to pull an  episode of Crash Course Geography together.  

Our field producer Neil and I shoot this in  Miami, Florida with our editor Madeline and  

producer Brandon zooming in from Colorado  and Indiana. And they work with our writers  

and consultants April and Zohra in Ohio and  Kelly our fact checker in Massachusetts, and  

Tuna who does our sound design in Montana. And of  course the Thought Café team with Meg and Tenzin  

illustrating the series from Ontario, Canada  and Monique animating it from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

We work as a team from many  different locations and time zones.  

And while we’re each located in  an absolute or specific space,  

we’re also simultaneously in a relational space  that’s connected through social media and the  

virtual world to lots of other places  when we’re interacting with each other.

Like during a zoom meeting I might be  paying rapt attention of course...and  

ordering a library book or placing  a take-out order for lunch.  

Or maybe I’m out doing errands but also chatting  with my sister and the chickens in France.  

So many different kinds of spaces  are converging all at once.

And that means how we think about space  in geography has changed and will change  

in the future. We’ve broadened our concept of  space and the spaces we navigate daily because  

all of these different types of space have become  an integral part of our lives. They influence  

and impact each other and will profoundly  change how we live, work, shop and play.

Right now though, in the early 2020s,  we don’t know the whole story of virtual space.

There’s still a lot to study in  geography because these virtual spaces  

can also be filled with power struggles and  possibilities, just like physical spaces.

And as our understanding of space changes  and grows, we also have to think about  

another core concept: place and  what that means in the future. 

Place is an area in a space that humans have given  meaning to or have become attached to in some way.  

So places are like locations plus so much more -- they’re also the setting of everyday life.

We experience places and they exist  because we exist, which makes place a social  

construct that is unique to particular  people and which can change over time.

As space and time converge, today more than ever,  

places are linked to other places and regions  in a global rather than a local context  

and are highly interdependent. Like New York City  and London in some ways are more closely linked as  

important economic places than say New York City  and my hometown Ithaca, a little bit upstate.

In fact, globalization has made some people  afraid that we’re heading towards a world  

where global consumerism will make every place  the same. Whether we’re in Denver or Dubai,  

we’re confronted with the  same airport, hotel, or office  

and with the same shops, the same  brands, and the same products.

Some people find that this homogenization, or  blending together, makes them feel placeless  

and dislocated. But other people find  that same-ness comforting. And another  

school of thought says that these  brands are globally ubiquitous,  

but are being adapted in different ways to meet  the tastes, desires, needs, and culture of locals.

Either way, this means that places aren’t  lost. But it does mean that the people who  

live in places affected by globalization -- so  most of the world -- do need to decide what it  

is they want their place to be, whether that is  reasserting identity and claim to a territory  

in order to recreate a specific time and place  in the past or a new vision of their future.

Like the slow city movement, which is  a grassroots response to globalization  

and an example of people trying to recover  a sense of place. The goal of slow cities,  

or cittaslow, is to develop places that  retain healthy environments, good food,  

sustainable economies and a vital community  life based on seasonal and traditional rhythms.

Like Damyang County in South Korea, which  has improved its physical environment  

by restoring its traditional gravel pathways  and creeks and has strict building regulations  

to make sure new construction is in  line with the town’s historic character.  

Residents can learn traditional arts  and crafts and there is a daily and  

weekly market for local products  and for farmers to sell produce.

Defending territory is a placemaking  force, and it’s a way we show we’re  

attached to a specific location and  have created a place we feel we belong.  

So in some ways, globalization has made local  settings more important than ever before.

And even though globalization seems overpowering,  

there are still so many local differences  in what resources are available  

or how the space is organized. So really,  places are constantly under construction  

as people respond to the opportunities  and constraints of wherever they are.

Which means as geographers, we’ll continue  working to understand what makes people,  

places and regions different from one another.

One of the areas our new understanding of space  and place are on display is the new world of data.  

Many of our interactions are part of  information spaces made up of data  

points that are controlled by just a handful  of organizations. And data is the new oil.

Whether we’re shopping, in school, at work, or  simply taking a walk, we can leave a virtual trail  

or digital footprint through websites we visit,  messages we send through different platforms, and  

even cameras -- whether it’s a security camera at  a local store or your neighbor’s doorbell monitor.  

In this surveillance landscape our locations  and our identities are used to extract data.  

And like oil, extraction means profit.

This new round of extraction is  called surveillance capitalism,  

and nowhere is this surveillance more obvious  than in our urban spaces. Today’s cities are  

also smart cities, saturated with cameras  and sensors that secure homes, workplaces,  

and everything in between, with the goal of  making our cities safer and more efficient.

But creating smart cities also means we’re  letting a massive amount of data be collected.  

These technologies have the ability to  collect granular data on local weather,  

pollution, and traffic patterns. And they  can also collect personal data as we move  

through public spaces -- personal  data that can be commercialized.

But just because we can doesn't  mean we should. Or at least,  

doesn't mean we should without at least  first thinking critically about which  

communities may benefit most from technological  solutions -- and who might be harmed, instead.

Like as cities become more focused on security,  that might also mean new ways to manipulate,  

segregate, and keep surveillance on our most  marginalized and vulnerable social groups.  

We need to think about how spaces and  infrastructure will be provided in the future  

and the roles that technology, data, and  privatization will play in shaping our cities.

If all this is sounding a bit dystopian, I’m with  you. But as geographers, we can study these new  

spaces and economies and ask questions about  the relationships and patterns that they form.  

In fact, environmental geographers  have studied what happens when we  

restrict access to public spaces and the  problems that creates in great detail.

When communities stop being in charge of their own  spaces, it amplifies negative consequences -- like  

when fisheries start being privately owned,  it ends up consolidating and limiting who can  

catch fish. By restricting access, we also  lose out on a lot of community knowledge,  

which can include informal practices  that help reduce impacts on a resource.

And the world of data is no different.  Some communities are pushing back on  

surveillance and all the data  collected by private companies  

by arguing for more data to be open access. This  turns data from a private good to something that  

is held in common and that we care for as  a public good, like water in a watershed.

Communal data also gives under-resourced  communities new outlets to claim space and power.  

Like through efforts like open  geographic data or the effort to map  

previously silenced patterns, through  projects like Mapping Prejudice.

Though our current surveillance landscape and an  

open data future aren’t the only two  options for how we can deal with data.  

And as geographers we can help figure out  how those options affect spaces and places.

And finally, the third core geography  concept is human-environment interactions  

or are all the ways humans connect  with and live within the environment  

and the impact the environment has on  lives, choices, and experiences of people.

As we enter the third decade of the 21st  century, the human footprint extends over  

the vast majority of Earth’s surface. In fact  some people call our current geological era  

in Earth’s history the anthropocene. It’s the  period where human activities like agriculture,  

industrialization and urbanization have had  far reaching effects on Earth’s ecosystems.

And this is an important piece  of recognition for geographers,  

because it means our work has  renewed relevance as more people  

recognize the idea that the natural world  is inextricably linked with the human world.

But the anthropocene holds both promise and  peril and it’s important how we think about it.  

For instance, let’s consider geoengineering, or  the active manipulation of the Earth’s climate  

in order to counteract the  effect of climate disaster.

Geoengineering solutions like carbon capture  actively push carbon dioxide and other greenhouse  

gases from the atmosphere into Earth’s crust,  so it can’t trap heat in the atmosphere anymore.  

And reducing the amount of carbon  dioxide we put into the atmosphere  

is a goal that’s socially and geographically  dispersed. That means countries and societies  

must all participate to reduce the carbon  dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.

But another geoengineering solution  -- solar radiation management which is  

when we reflect a small amount of the  energy from the Sun back into space,  

rather than letting it reach  us on Earth -- is the inverse.  

It's adding aerosols or space reflectors to  our atmosphere, rather than taking them away.

Geoengineering the climate like this  requires advanced technological capabilities.  

It also means a small group of  states or private companies would  

be able to manipulate the climate of  entire regions however they wanted.

So as geographers, we’ve got a lot of work ahead  of us helping the world navigate whether we can  

or should drastically manipulate the physical  environment in new ways to suit human needs.

And because geographers are experts  on the relationships between  

physical and social processes, we can help  

evaluate the consequences or potential  benefits of manipulating our environment.

The anthropocene requires us to radically rethink  the idea of nature and even humans and our  

relationship with each other. What is just and  what is equitable, both socially and spatially,  

are still important questions, because there are  power relationships bound up in who will be the  

winners and losers, or who gets to decide  what is beneficial and what is harmful.

So throughout this series we’ve talked a lot about  the different patterns and processes that shape  

our world and how deeply they’re affected  by the past. But nothing is set in stone.  

And as we’ve said many times, the Earth is a  beautifully dynamic place, and human innovation  

and our desire to claim and create our own places  will continue to build new landscapes and futures.

Whether it’s climate change, data landscapes, or  understanding the movement of people and ideas,  

power and economics, geographers are right there,  

getting their boots muddy or digging  through archives and big data.  

We’re helping to explain the relationships  between the physical and social forces  

and the outcomes those interactions generate  in order to tell all the stories of the Earth.

And with that, we’ve made it to the end of our  journey -- around the world and back again,  

learning about things like volcanoes,  glaciers, agricultural patterns,  

and the movement of language and  religion, and, of course, bananas.

It has been an honor to be your companion along  the way -- with the help of so many friends -- and  

I hope that understanding a bit more about both  physical and human geography has given you new  

perspectives to ponder, and a renewed sense of awe  and wonder about our extraordinary home planet.  

Thank you so much for joining me on this journey.

Thanks for watching this episode of Crash  Course Geography which is filmed at the  

Team Sandoval Pierce Studio and was made with  the help of all these nice people. If you want  

to help keep Crash Course free for everyone,  forever, you can join our community on Patreon.