Cartography

A Spatial Turn

Spatial Turns are sort of geographic expressways that channel geography to highway ramps with different space awareness. I finished reviewing the book A Spatial Turn – interdiscplinary perspectives last night. I started reading it and simply kept on reading it until I finished.

Edited by Barney Warf and Santa Arias the book includes some interesting insights. Spatial Turns are about connecting spaces to human geography. While technology is certainly part of the process, Spatial Turns are about actively using tools and technologies together with new insights and point to fundamental changes. They don’t see space and geography as additional ventures, but as integral to the active change process.

For example, Gibraltar and Spain appear separated, moreso in many minds. Break away those barriers and ‘The Mediterranean’ becomes one. The Spatial Turn taking place would drop the administrative barriers, focus on the economic, cultural and environmental connections and re-draw the map.

The Hackitectura movement  is an example of Spatial Turning in action. But there are many others.

A Spatial Turn gives a voice to many of the cartographic changes happening around us that don’t necessarily formalise approaches or base themselves on tools alone – but consider human geography.

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