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John Adams (left) and Richard Nicholson
Geography
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Love the
city, but dreaming of a home in the country? You're not the only
one. According to a recent research project conducted by John Adams,
chair of the Department of Geography, and graduating senior Richard
Nicholson, more and more people are undecided about where to dwell—and
so they're spending time in both places.
Adams's and Nicholson's project, “The Urbanization of Minnesota's
Countryside”—sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Transportation
(MNDOT)—used census data to find correlations between commuting
patterns and other social factors, such as income levels, vocations,
and population. The goal was to identify emerging urban centers,
and also to determine whether certain communities are getting greater
usage out of state amenities like roads (hence MNDOT's involvement).
But determining what counts as “urban” is more difficult than you
might think, especially as new “settlement forms” evolve. According
to Nicholson, “To some, a town is considered ‘urban' once it reaches
a certain population. To others, it's whether there's lots of inter-county
commuting and money exchanging hands across borders.” So in analyzing
census data, Adams and Nicholson needed to consider a variety of
these factors at once.
“I was sort of his data junkie,” says Nicholson of his research
task, crunching census numbers. As Adams's research assistant, Nicholson
did his share of grunt work—but he also had the opportunity to become
more deeply involved with his department. “It was a more intimate
experience,” he recalls. “It drew me into the department, made me
feel like I was part of what the department is doing.”
By Andi McDaniel
Reprinted with permission from the spring 2006 edition of CLA
Today, a publication of the College of Liberal Arts.
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