Fieldwork techniques – Urban Transects
Urban and settlement geography - Investigating landuse and function
Aims
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To investigate land-use patterns.
To investigate retail and commerce within a designated urban area.
To undertake a study of the function of the designated area.
To investigate spatial differences in function within an urban area.
1. Urban land-use transects
Equipment
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Base maps of study locations (if available)
Appropriate land-use classification key
Pencils and clipboard
Note-pad or record sheets
Digital camera
Methodology
1. Decide on your sampling technique, especially if you are investigating a large urban area.
2. Using a large-scale map of the study area, select a transect line radiating from one point to
another (probably along a road).
3. Develop a land-use classification key for use during the data collection. This should be based
on the type of land-use (residential, industrial, etc.) and then sub-divided according to the
age, style or function of individual buildings. Your key should allow you to easily classify each
individual building you encounter on your transect.
4. Walk your transect route and gradually build up information on your base map by adding
colours or codes from the key which you have developed.
5. The map can be re-drawn following your fieldwork to ensure that all of the land uses are
clearly shown.
Considerations and possible limitations
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Mapping large areas can be time-consuming and labour-intensive, so group work is a good
idea!
A suitable sampling strategy should be devised to reduce bias in your land use survey.
Care and thought should go into developing an appropriate land-use classification key to
make data collection easier and less subjective. However, a degree of subjectivity is
inevitable when determining land use classifications, and errors can sometimes be made in
judging the age and style of the buildings.