Delaware Recommended Curriculum Regional Planning Course
Adapted by Maggie Legates, DGA from a presentation by P.W. Rees,
UD Department of Geography
a basic building block for geography
Just as a cell is to biology
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a concept – a mental construct.
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Defining regions
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Types of regions
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Defining boundaries
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Why are regions useful and important?
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How do planners use regional analysis
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Identify places with one or more similar
characteristics
Circumscribe (draw a line around) the area of
the earth’s surface occupied by those places!
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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
Easy to do!
Not so easy!
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Place has to do with the qualities or attributes
of a location
Region has to do with the area occupied
 What
characteristics is each
classification system based
on?
 What
kinds of data were used
to generate this
regionalization system?
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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)
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Formal:
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Functional (based on usage or function)
defining characteristic is uniform across the entire
area of the region
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the defining characteristic is strongest in the
center (“core”) and declines in intensity
towards the edges (“periphery”)
Some examples:
The core might not be at the
center!
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Marketing regions
Service areas for businesses
Metro areas
Sports teams fan base
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Formal: defining characteristic is uniform across the entire
area of the region
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Functional:
defining characteristic is strongest in the
center (“core”) and declines in intensity towards the edges
(“periphery”)
Perceptual – based on personal beliefs –
subjective rather than objective
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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?)
Do mountain peaks make good
border markers?
How about
rivers?
Lines of latitude have
pros and cons too!
Over the years,
the Rio Grande
has changed
frequently.
Does this make
a good
international
border?
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?
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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
outlyers
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Some methods of defining boundaries
◦ Identifying the core: orthogonal medians
◦ Identifying the periphery: Theissen polygons
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Use this method when data is represented in
dots.
Draw a line across the space at a place where
half of the dots are above and half are below
the line. Then draw a second line from top to
bottom at a place where half of the dots are
to the right and and half are left of the line.
The core of this region is at the intersection
of the lines. The boundary can be established
as a line around the outside.
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This method is used when locations or data
are represented by dots or points.
On the dot map, mark a halfway point
between each dot and those surrounding it.
Then connect the dots! The resulting
“regions” look strange, but they mark off the
area that should be most convenient for
travel to each center.
This method does NOT take into account
road systems, barriers, or personal
preferences.
Do large Thiessen areas guarantee a good fan base?
On this map, the
Thiessen lines are
drawn halfway
between hospitals .
The green circles
symbolize populations
using the hospitals.
Which Delaware
hospital serves the
least people?
Over lapping
regional
jurisdictions:
City boundaries
Township
boundaries
Fire protection
districts
Sanitary districts
Mass transit
districts
School districts
Grade school
attendance areas
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Used in business,
government, and
non-profit sectors
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Determining service areas
Making comparisons
Identifying departures from the norm
Predicting trends
Planning for the future
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Determining service areas
Making comparisons
Departures from the norm
Anticipating change
Promoting equity; exposing inequality