Geography

Permanent URI for this communityhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/2242

Browse

Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 14

Land Use in Charles County
(1962) Langen, John S.; Van Royen, W.; Geography; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
The land use of Charles County does not basically differ from that in the past. Land in forest and land in farms are the two categories of land utilization. The great demand for tobacco on the overseas markets in the early days of the county's history, led to the introduction of this crop. Because of the favorable climate and soils, tobacco became soon the mainstay of the county's economy, a situation which still exists today. The purpose of the thesis was to determine which geographical factors and others accounted for the use of the land. In addition to field work, use was made of detailed statistical data. It was found, that the county could be divided into three sections. In the western section, land in forest was the dominating land use form. In the central section, land in forest and land in farms were about equal in areal extent, whereas in the eastern section, land in farms dominated. The reason was that soils in the western part became exhausted, and a shift to the eastern section took place. Landforms contributed much to the distribution of land in crops, especially for tobacco. Recently, a change in the use of the land is taking place. The encroachment of the Washington Metropolitan area, and the building of a major highway, connecting the North with the South, have induced farmers to sell their lands, which are converted into residential areas.
Land Tenure, Property Ownership, and Home Mortgages in the Late Nineteenth Century: A Case Study of Baltimore's Germans
(1976) Vill, Martha J.; Groves, Paul A.; Geography; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, MD)
During the late nineteenth century the rapidly expanding urban population of the United States created an increased demand for housing. At the same time, mortgage money for the finance of home purchases was in short supply because of the availability of more lucrative investment opportunities elsewhere and because there were legal restrictions on the power of banks to lend money on real estate . Recent literature has emphasized the importance of property ownership among different components of the population, including immigrant groups. Little attention has been paid to the process of property acquisition or to the patterns of land tenure which resulted. An immigrant population, handicapped in numerous ways, was likely to have limited access to available mortgage financing, thereby limiting its ability to purchase property. Yet, the literature suggests that immigrants actively acquired property. This study examines some preliminary ideas about tenure patterns and home mortgages within immigrant residential areas, using a sample of Baltimore's Germans as a case study. The argument presented is that housing acquisition was facilitated by the activities of the immigrants themselves. In view of the restrictions on the supply of mortgage money, financing for property purchases had to come from sources independent of the city's major financial institutions, and the immigrants had to generate their own sources of capital. It was expected that tenants and landlords would have common national origins, another reflection of the immigrants' reliance on members of their own group for housing. Another expectation of the study was that Germans of different origins in Germany would exhibit different tenure patterns. Arguing that the term "German" was an imprecise indicator of national origins, and that the residential patterns of immigrants from different parts of Germany were distinct, it was expected that this diversity would also find expression in tenure patterns. The selection of the sample areas in the study was, therefore, conditioned by the need to isolate areas inhabited by Germans of diverse origins. Land tenure, property ownership, and relationships between landlords and tenants were analyzed. The hoped for differences in rates of property ownership did not materialize, and home ownership was not systematically related to age, income, or family employment. The findings do indicate, however, that home ownership was within the grasp of people with relatively low income. The mechanism which enabled home purchasers to obtain mortgages was the building and loan associations which were organized and directed by men whose origins, occupations, and residences reflected those of the associations' clientele. Thus, the hypothesis that immigrants generated their own mortgage funds was confirmed. The findings of the study concerning landlords and tenants further substantiate the argument that the provision of housing was accomplished by the immigrants themselves. Landlords' residences were close to the properties they rented, and there was a marked tendency for tenants to rent from landlords who shared their German origins.
Washington, D.C. and the Growth of Its Early Suburbs : 1860-1920
(1980) Levy, Anneli Moucka; Groves, Paul A.; Geography; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
During the nineteenth century, the North American city greatly changed in size and internal structure. With the introduction of mass transportation, large scale suburbanization took place as one aspect of this change. Members of the evolving middle class not only wished to escape the pollution and congestion of the urban core, but also believed strongly in a 'rural ideal,' translated into a 'suburban ideal.' Urban changes and suburban growth were especially pronounced in industrial cities, and descriptions of conditions in these cities identify the accepted model of the spatial configuration of the metropolis existed in 1920. Examination of the growth of Washington D. C. between the Civil War and World War I indicates that the city shared few of the characteristics of the accepted urban model. Nevertheless, it exhibited distinct suburban movement connected with three major transport modes, including the steam railroad. The belief in the 'suburban ideal' was broadly based in Washington and therefore much variation was found among the city's suburban communities, even among those associated with the same transportation mode. Furthermore, in contrast to the suburban model, conditions in the suburban areas often did not compare favorably with those in the city. Even so, the suburbanization process accelerated from small beginnings, so that by 1920 the city displayed the local variant of the typical star-shaped pattern.
Island Land Loss in the Chesapeake Bay: A Quantitative and Process Analysis
(1992) Wray, Rachel Donham; Leatherman, Stephen P.; Geography; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
The rates and processes of land loss were studied for seven islands in the Chesapeake Bay: Barren, Bloodsworth, Hooper, James, Poplar, Smith and South Marsh Islands. Rates and patterns of land loss were quantified for the years 1848 to 1987 with the Metric Mapping technique which utilizes digitized data from historical maps and vertical aerial photographs. Processes of land loss were determined through field surveys and correlated with environmental factors. Two distinct island types were identified which exhibited different, long-term patterns of land loss. Small, upland islands, termed the Northern Group, showed rapid land loss along the main stem of the Bay primarily due to wave action driven by the predominant westerly winds. Land loss appeared to accelerate during periods of high storm frequency. The long-term averaged land loss rate for Northern Group islands is 1.9 ha/yr. The averaged erosion rate on the western side of the islands is 4.9 m/yr, compared to 0.68 m/yr on the eastern side of the islands. In contrast, the large, marshy islands of the Southern Group experienced uniform marsh edge erosion and interior marsh degradation. The Southern Group islands lost land at an averaged rate of 5. 6 ha/yr, with an averaged rate of marsh edge erosion of 1.2 m/yr. Land loss appeared to be weakly correlated to storm frequency. Interior marsh loss was not quantified for this study, however, so this study provides an underestimation of total land loss of coastal wetlands.
An Evolution of Land Use in Kent County, Maryland
(1953) Singleton, Carey B. Jr; Van Royen, William; Geography; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
The object of this study is to determine the land use changes that have taken place in Kent County, located on the Eastern Shore of Maryland (See Fig. 1) with emphasis on recent land use changes. The principal objectives of this study will be to ascertain, analyze, and review the evolution of land utilization in Kent County. A major trend within the past ten years has been toward a decreasing number of farms and, at the same time, a decreasing number of people gainfully employed in agriculture. This trend has resulted in the displacement of agricultural earners by fa.rm machinery and farm consolidations. An increase in the average size of farms is due to "outsiders" - business men from out-of-state -- who have established themselves in the county by buying and combining principally waterfront property. Thus large estates are formed along with the restoration of Colonial homes. This type of land tenure has been bringing about utilization of the land in the form of large dairy and beef herds. Kent County has the smallest number of farms of all the counties in Maryland but it has the largest average farm size in the state. This is an area of predominantly large dairy farms with highly mechanized machinery and equipment. The major trend in the last 25 years has been from cash grain to livestock raising which has resulted from the growth of dairying. The pattern of field crops has also changed from cash grains to feed grains for the large dairy herds. This study has been accomplished through the use of field work historical data, tables, maps, and photographs. The assumption can be made that greater permanency and stability in land use may be assured by utilizing the land for what it is best suited to produce. In an agricultural county, such as Kent, the retention of the soil, maintenance of its fertility, and the productivity are fundamental and therefore, the outstanding problems of optimum land utilization in the county. Land use adjusted into a pattern set by man should be utilized according to its capabilities. Optimum production and use of the land may be obtained by utilizing it for purposes to which it is best adapted. This is essentially a geographical problem in the final analysis and is manifested by a myriad of socio-economic factors that compose the gamut of land use implications. The author's interest in this area emanates from a field course in Geography and a number of trips through parts of this county. Field work was accomplished during the spring and summer of 1952 and constitutes the primary source of data for this thesis. The initials of the author appear where compilation of maps and graphs have been drawn from research and field data. All photographs have been taken by the author during his field work in the county.
THE USE OF NARROW SPECTRAL BANDS FOR IMPROVING REMOTE SENSING ESTIMATIONS OF FRACTIONALLY ABSORBED PHOTOSYNTHETICALLY ACTIVE RADIATION
(1994) Kim, Moon Sung; Townshend, John R.G.; Geography; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
Most remote sensing estimations of vegetation variables such as leaf area index (LAI), absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (Apar,), and primary production are made using broad band sensors with a bandwidth of approximately 100 nm. However, high resolution spectrometers are available and have not been fully exploited for the purpose of improving estimates of vegetation variables. The study was directed to investigate the use of high spectral resolution spectroscopy for remote sensing estimates of f apar in vegetation canopies in the presence of nonphotosynthetic background materials such as soil and leaf litter. A high spectral resolution measure defined as the chlorophyll absorption ratio index (CARI) was developed for minimizing the effects of nonphotosynthetic materials in the remote estimates of f apar CARI utilizes three bands at 550, 670, and 700 nm with bandwidth of 10 nm. Simulated canopy reflectance of a range of leaf area index (LAI) were generated with the SAIL model using measurements of 42 different soil types as canopy background. CARI calculated from the simulated canopy reflectance was compared with the broad band vegetation indices such as normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), soil adjusted vegetation index (SAVI), and simple ratio (SR). CARI reduced the effect of nonphotosynthetic background materials in the assessment of vegetation canopy f apar more effectively than broad band vegetation indices.
The Chinese in Latin America, A Preliminary Geographical Survey with Special Reference to Cuba and Jamaica
(1956) Chang, Ching Chieh; McBryde, F. Webster; Geography; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
The present study concerns itself with the geographical origin, distribution, routes of migration and ports of embarkation of the Chinese in Latin America. It also purports to bring out the similarities and dissimilarities in their demographic composition, economic activities and some other aspects in different Latin American countries. The term "Latin America" is used to include all the European possessions in the area, and the term "Chinese" is used to include all those of Chinese parentage, but not those born to Chinese who intermarried with individuals of other races. Chinese immigration to Latin America on a large scale did not begin until the eighteen forties. Between 1847 and 1874, known as the coolie trade period, about one quarter of a million Chinese migrated to Latin America as "contract laborers". The great majority of them were "forced" immigrants, because they were kidnapped or decoyed by the coolie recruiters and did not migrate voluntarily. After 1874, Chinese immigration entered a new era. All the immigrants came voluntarily. But the good time of free Chinese immigration did not last very long. In or before the first quarter of the 20th century, most of the Latin American countries adopted laws to prohibit the entrance of Chinese. The Chinese immigrants were primarily from nine hsiens (or counties) in Kwangtung province immediately behind the port of Macao. Only those in Jamaica were not from this area, but exclusively from three hsiens in the same province north of Hongkong. At the present time, there are about 77 thousand Chinese in Latin America, and their distribution is highly localized. The localization of the geographical origin and the geographical distribution can be explained only in terms of the special type of Chinese emigration in general and the early history of the Chinese migration to Latin America in particular. Moreover, the Chinese are mainly concentrated in large cities. This is the result of their occupation. Almost all of them are engaged in commerce, and particularly in the grocery trade. Therefore, in places where their number is large, they are very influential in the grocery business. The Chinese population in almost all Latin American countries is characterized by two demographical anomalies: the great excess of males and the abnormally large number of old and middle-aged people. This is owing to the fact that, within the past one hundred years, the number of females among the immigrants has always been extremely small, and a large portion of the population still consists of immigrants who came in or before the nineteen twenties. Generally speaking, there has been no segregation against the Chinese along racial lines. Nevertheless, social contacts between Chinese and natives remain on a business basis and are purely ·functional. Racial consciousness still plays an important role among the Chinese, native-born as well as immigrants. Among the immigrants, it is also because most of them retain their Chinese nationality and want to go back to China eventually. Thus, in Latin America, the Chinese are not only racial minorities but also groups of aliens.
Colonia Incognita: The Formation of Chinatown, New York City, 1850-1890
(1975) Tom, Henry; Muller, Edward K.; Geography; Digital Repository at the University of Maryland; University of Maryland (College Park, Md)
The genesis of ethnic areas in cities is attributed to the process of residential concentration. For the Chinese experience in New York, however, the emergence of Chinatown occurred through the concentration of institutions. A rapid influx of Chinese into this northern industrial city followed by an occupational specialization in laundries – the coterminous place of work and residence – resulted in their widespread distribution. This spatial pattern prevented a residential concentration of the Chinese, who possessed a great cultural variance from the indigenous population. The migrational objective of returning to China with their accumulated earnings gave rise to the sojourning nature of Chinese migrants and its attendant detached status of migration without wives or families. These conditions generated a desire among the migrants to preserve their cultural identity, incurring a heavy reliance on things Chinese. In response, Chinatown had formed by 1880. Initially, a concentration of service and social institutions which fulfilled the socio-cultural needs of the dispersed Chinese population, Chinatown eventually became the basis for Chinese residential concentration.
Washington, D.C.'s Streetcar Suburbs: A Comparative Analysis of Brookland and Brightwood, 1870-1900
(1979) Prince, Thomas Eugene; Groves, Paul
The evolution of public transportation systems in the large American cities of the late nineteenth century culminated in the innovation of the streetcar. Such transportation changes affected urban structure and by the last quarter of the century had produced a distinctive residential area, the streetcar suburb. Washington, D.C. had a number of such suburbs, some the result of subdivision development associated with the extension of streetcar lines to link existing village suburbs to the downtown core, others the product of concurrent residential subdivision and streetcar development. Such suburbs were predominantly middle-class, white, residential areas. An examination of two Washington, D.C. suburbs: Brightwood and Brookland, indicated distinct physical, social, economic, and demographic structures in these village suburbs in the early 1880's. After the subsequent introduction of streetcar links to downtown Washington--an employment core characterized by much white-collar government employment--the two suburbs became increasingly similar in terms of the chosen measurements. By the end of the century, there was little in their structures to indicate the very different paths they had taken to the same end.
Historical Shoreline Changes in Response to Environmental Conditions in West Delaware Bay
(1990) French, Gregory T.; Leatherman, Stephen
This study quantified historical changes in the coastline of the west shore of Delaware Bay. Shoreline changes were measured through the compilation of historical maps and photographs utilizing the Metric Mapping technique. These changes were correlated with various environmental conditions and with human influences. The results portray a 135 year pattern of overall erosion, with long-term rates averaging -4.5 ftjyr, which is considerably greater than the u.s. Atlantic coast average. Coastal engineering (e.g., groins, jetties and beach nourishment) were locally effective in reducing erosion rates and in some cases promoting limited accretion. Perhaps more importantly, there were few associated negative effects alongshore suggesting that various forms of coastal engineering can be effective in a low-energy environment, even when done in a somewhat unorganized fashion. A correlation was found between erosion rates and underlying Pleistocene morphology. Where pre-Holocene sediments were exposed in the nearshore, erosion rates were lower. However, erosion rates were substantially higher along marshy shorelines. This erosion is not continuous either spatially or temporally, but instead is largely storm-driven. Periods of relative quiescence corresponded with lowered rates of average annual shoreline recession. With the exception of the northernmost marshy areas, severe erosion occurs along all shorelines, regardless of morphology, in response to major coastal storms.

Geography

Browse

Filters

Settings

Sort By

Results per page

Search Results