Essential reading for geography, planning and environmental science students and researchers and all those concerned with the nature of the relationship between people and the environment, this important volume presents a comprehensive introduction to applied geography. Demonstrating the usefulness of geographic research across the various sub-areas of the discipline, forty-nine leading experts in the field introduce and explore research which crosses the traditional boundary between physical and human geography. A wide range of key issues and contemporary debates are examined within the books main sections, which cover:
natural and environmental hazards;
environmental change and management;
challenges of the human environment;
techniques of spatial analysis.
Applied geography is the application of geographic knowledge and skills to identify the nature and causes of social, economic and environmental problems and inform policies which lead to their resolution. The relevance and value of this applied approach, which cross-cuts inter- and intra- disciplinary boundaries, has never been more apparent given the plethora of problem situations which confront modern societies: ranging from extreme natural events (floods, droughts, earthquakes) through environmental concerns - (deforestation, disease, desertification) to human issues - (crime, poverty, unemployment)
Applied Geography offers an invaluable introduction to useful research in physical, environmental and human geography and provides a new focus and reference point for investigating and understanding problem-orientated research from a diverse range of perspectives and disciplines.