Formulating Urban Enquiry Questions
Urban environment fieldwork enquiry
- To undertake the urban fieldwork enquiry there are a range of practical skills and methods will be used
- These can apply to any urban fieldwork
- The fieldwork enquiry should be linked to geographical theory
- In the urban fieldwork enquiry the theories of the changes in urban land use and sustainability can be used
- Using a model or case studies helps to explain why certain processes occur or trends/patterns can be seen
- They enable identification of where the data collected is not as expected
Aims and hypothesis
- The aims and hypothesis come from the questions asked about change in urban environments such as:
- How does the quality of the urban environment vary along a transect?
- What impact on the urban environment does the building of a new housing estate/road/industrial estate have?
- How has the land use on the urban fringe changed?
- Examples of an aim would be:
- An investigation into the environmental impact of a new road/housing estate/business park in the city of Y
- An investigation into changing in land use on the urban-rural fringe of the city of X
- An investigation into environmental quality from the CBD to urban fringe in the city of W
- Hypotheses are statements that are tested through fieldwork
- An example of a hypothesis would be:
- Environmental quality improves with distance from the CBD
- A null hypothesis is a statement that is opposite to a hypothesis
- This ensures there is no bias when collecting the evidence
- You are not ignoring evidence because it doesn't prove the statement
- If you cannot prove the statement then the opposite must be true
- Examples of a null hypothesis would be:
- Environmental quality does not improve with distance from the CBD
- This ensures there is no bias when collecting the evidence
- After the aims and hypothesis have been established the next steps are to:
- Select the sites: this will involve sampling
- Decide on the equipment to be used
- Consider health and safety issues: complete a risk assessment
- Data collection methods to be used
Site selection and sampling
- It is not practical to take measurements or look at changes in all parts of the urban environment
- To select sites sampling should be used
- True sampling will:
- Reduce bias
- Provide an overview of the whole
- There may be situations where access to the sample site may be limited meaning an opportunistic approach may need to be taken
- However, this should be as close as possible to the site selected using sampling
- The most commonly used sampling strategies for urban environment enquiries are:
- Systematic: a sampling of sites/people at regular intervals along a transect line
- Random: all sites have an equal chance of being selected
- Stratified: sampling sites which represent the whole
- If 10% of the population is over 65 then 10% of a questionnaire sample should be over 65
- Site location can be recorded using GPS to give an accurate location using latitude and longitude
- Use of grid reference and compass points can also be used
Equipment
- To complete the urban environments enquiry a range of equipment is needed
- The equipment needed may include the following:
- Record sheets
- Interview Sheets
- Pencil for completing recording sheets
- Camera to take photographs of land use
- Digital noise meter
- Environmental Quality Surveys
- Maps
Risk Assessment
- Any fieldwork will involve consideration of health and safety using a risk assessment
- Risks specifically associated with urban environment fieldwork may include:
- Weather conditions
- Working in an unfamiliar place
- Traffic
- Getting lost
- Speaking to strangers
- Pollution
- Cars