Integrated geography

Integrated geography (also, integrative geography,^[1] environmental geography or human–environment geography) is the branch of geography that describes and explains the spatial aspects of interactions between human individuals or societies and their natural environment,^[2] so-called coupled human–environment systems.

Origins

It requires an understanding of the dynamics of physical geography, as well as the ways in which human societies conceptualize the environment (human geography). Thus, to a certain degree, it may be seen as a successor of Physische Anthropogeographie (English: "physical anthropogeography")—a term coined by University of Vienna geographer Albrecht Penck in 1924^[3]—and geographical cultural or human ecology (Harlan H. Barrows 1923). Environmental geography in the United States is principally influenced by the schools of Carl O. Sauer (Berkeley) and Gilbert F. White (Chicago).

Focus

The links between human and physical geography were once more readily apparent than they are today. As human experience of the world is increasingly mediated by technology, the relationships have often become obscured. Thereby, environmental geography represents a critically important set of analytical tools for assessing the impact of human presence on the environment by measuring the result of human activity on natural landforms and cycles. It hence is considered the third branch of geography,^[4] as compared to physical and human geography ^[5]

References

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