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Tom Paradis Associate Professor Dept. of Geography and Public Planning Northern Arizona University NAU Box 15016 Flagstaff, AZ 86011-5016 Email: thomas.paradis@nau.edu All
photos copyright by Thomas W. Paradis (unless otherwise noted).
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A Geography of Landscape and Community in Flagstaff, Arizona
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My Courses that use Theme Town NOTE: All royalties from Theme Town sold to students in the above courses (or any other NAU course that might use the book) are used to assist geography and planning majors with expenses for various field-based experiences.
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INTRODUCTION: A Place Called Flagstaff 1. What is the significance of small towns with respect to American culture and society? Provide some evidence of this significance. 2. Define the major postindustrial economic shift that has taken place in many small towns and cities since the 1970s. 3. What is benign neglect, and how can it be considered both a challenge and an advantage for small towns today? 4. Discuss briefly how the typical functions and appearance of small-town business districts (main streets) have changed in recent decades. 5. What geographical criteria are usually necessary if a small town is to continue growing today? Does Flagstaff fit this criteria? Why or why not?
CHAPTER 1: The Discipline of Geography 1. What do most Americans think about geography, in terms of why the discipline exists? For what reasons is this misperception so popular? 2. What is the difference between geographical description and geographical explanation? Provide one example of each. 3. Explain the difference between the concepts of location, locale, and sense of place. 4. In what geographical
setting do you feel the most "at home"? This could be at any geographic
scale, from dwelling or neighborhood to city or region. Briefly discuss
why you feel at home there -- that is, your strong sense of
place.
CHAPTER 2: The Geography of Human Landscapes Read through chapter 2 and take short notes on the following concepts (You will need to be familiar with these concepts when it comes time to answer the questions in the FLAGSTAFF'S AMERICA TOUR project.)
FLAGSTAFF'S AMERICA TOUR CHAPTER 5: Downtown Depot: Flagstaff Visitors Center 1) Explain why this old Santa Fe depot can be interpreted as an important gateway for Flagstaff, first in the 1920s, and again in the 1990s. 2) How does this building demonstrate the idea of adaptive reuse? 3) For what reasons was the new Flagstaff Visitors Center finally located here in the old depot and not somewhere else in town? (What groups of people promoted the site, and why?) 4) What architectural
style does the depot represent, and why did its appearance in the 1990s
become such a controversy in the community? Public Art: Santa Fe Plaza 1) Originally, the Santa Fe (AT&SF) Railway wished to either move or dismantle this old sandstone depot, but then the railroad changed its mind. Briefly discuss the railroad company's role in saving the old depot, and why the railroad changed its mind. 2) How did the creation of the "Gandy Dancer" sculpture illustrate America's deeply rooted sentiments for democracy? Explain briefly. 3) What is "Old Two Spot," and in what ways does it symbolize an important aspect of Flagstaff's economic heritage? 4) Explain how
the role of local community members was necessary for ultimately allowing
"Old Two Spot" to become a permanent feature of Flagstaff's downtown landscape.
Anchor: Babbitt Brothers Department Store 1) Explain how the Babbitt Department Store served as an anchor for downtown Flagstaff. What was its role in the downtown economy? 2) What significant transformation to the Department Store building took place during the 1950s? Was this typical, or atypical, and why? 3) Is the Babbitt Brothers Department Store still in business as it was a century ago? Why or why not? 4) Describe the physical conditions of Flagstaff's downtown landscape during the 1970s and 1980s. What major trends were taking place that generally explained the condition of downtown at that time? 5) What role
has the Babbitt Brothers Department Store building played in the historic
preservation movement in downtown Flagstaff? Public Park: Heritage Square 1) What dominant American cultural group is most represented by the landscape of Heritage Square? What specific cultural values and ideologies played a role in the creation of this public space? Cite some examples. 2) Explain with a few examples how Heritage Square was the result of a public-private partnership. Who was "public," who was "private," regarding the process of the Square's development? 3) Heritage Square is a relatively recent addition to the downtown landscape. What two principal land uses occupied this space prior to its becoming a public park? 4) Interestingly, the space occupied by Heritage Square almost became a permanent parking lot instead, as detailed in the text. Explain the principle of exchange value, and how the use of this space as a parking lot would have supported that value, according to one of its original developers. 5) Provide one
outstanding example of a feature at Heritage Square that exemplifies the
process of imitation diffusion. Restoration: Weatherford Hotel 1) In what fundamental way did new building codes in Flagstaff prevent the restoration of the Weatherford Hotel in the 1990s from being truly "historic"? 2) Charly's, located on the ground floor of the Weatherford, was apparently a trend-setting social establishment in the revitalized downtown of the 1990s. What "trend" did it begin? Briefly discuss one positive and one negative implication of this trend for the downtown area. 3) Has centralized authority had much of an impact on the downtown bar/restaurant scene in recent years? What process has been the most influential, and why? 4) In what important
local annual event has the Weatherford Hotel played center stage? In what
way is this event a product of hierarchical diffusion? Courthouse: Hub of Coconino County 1) What does the Coconino County Courthouse have in common with the Allegheny County courthouse in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania? Briefly explain why, from a geographer's perspective. 2) In Midwestern county seats the courthouse is often the center attraction of the downtown, located on its own "courthouse square" with major businesses surrounding it on all sides. This one, however, seems to "stand to one side" on just another typical city block. Explain why this is the case here in Flagstaff. 3) What aspect
of the courthouse building enhances the sense of place for downtown Flagstaff,
making this place somewhat different and unique from towns elsewhere?
Office Tower: Bank of America Building 1) What cultural values or ideals were being promoted by the construction of buildings like this one at the time it was built? 2) In what ways does this building exemplify the ideal that "form follows function," and why? 3) Explain generally
how the interior floor space is used in this building and in larger skyscrapers
like it. Does its parent company actually conduct its operations on all
floors? Why or why not? Make use of the political economy perspective
to answer this question. Postmodernism: County Administration Building 1) The old courthouse is no longer the only county building in the downtown. What does the relatively constant development of newer and newer county buildings throughout the past century tell you about the growth of the Coconino County government in particular, and of American government in general? Why? 2) What architectural style does this new administration building represent, and what features of the building serve as good indicators of that style? 3) How does the architectural style of this building coincide nicely with the historic preservation movement? What do they have in common? 4) How is this building, and the style it represents, fundamentally different from the Bank of America building you just saw? 5) Describe various aspects of the downtown landscape that demonstrate the rise of postmodernism here. Use specific examples to support your answer. 6) In what ways is the downtown district becoming increasingly themed? What dominant themes are being used in the district, and by whom?
Streetscape: Transition on Cherry Avenue 1) Why is the term district inherently geographical in general? What is so geographical about it? 2) Is Flagstaff's "streetscape" project designed to portray a unique aspect of downtown Flagstaff? What was the primary purpose of the new downtown streetscape? What specific landscape elements does it include? 3) What, and where, was the Great White Way, and how is Flagstaff once again trying to imitate it? How might a cultural geographer try to explain this trend here in the downtown and elsewhere? 4) Describe the concept of a SID. What was the purpose of the SID with respect to creating the downtown streetscape? 5) What dominant concept from the political-economy perspective helped to explain the outcome of the final vote for the SID? For what reasons was it important? 6) Did the local business people in Flagstaff think up the idea on their own for the concept of a SID? What other factor, external to the locale, was responsible for dictating the process of the SID's creatin? Explain. 7) Describe the recent trend in social and economic activity in the downtown, and provide some specific examples of such activity. 8) What fundamental change in land use is taking place along Cherry Avenue? Why do you think this is happening?
CHAPTER 6: South Side 1) What explains the seemingly strange location of Motel Du Beau here in the Warehouse district on the south side of the tracks? 2) Describe the general condition of 1) America's railroad network, and 2) America's road network around 1900. 3) What happened to rail passenger service up through the 1950s? Explain why. 4) In what significant way did centralized authority play a role in the creation of U.S. Route 66 and other routes like it? 5) Why is this part of Phoenix Avenue important in the historical development of Flagstaff's transportation geography? Provide two dominant reasons. 1) Who were/are the Basques, and what social role did this boarding house play in Flagstaff's Basque community? 2) Why might Southside be considered Flagstaff's "melting pot" more so than the north downtown? Bypass: Butler Avenue 1) What geographical features explain the "S" curve in Butler Avenue just east of this intersection? How did centralized authority play a role? 2) What was the main purpose of widening Butler Avenue, and what does this indicate about Flagstaff's population growth? 3) What may have been the social impacts of Butler Avenue since its widening?
1) What is where: Using the geographer's first question of inquiry, briefly describe the route and drainage system of the Rio de Flag: Where does is come from, and where does it go? 2) Why is it there: First, explain where the water comes from when the Rio flows and sometimes floods. Also, explain why this apparently harmless stream channel winds its way through the heart of downtown Flagstaff. Is this a common situation across America, or not? 3) And… So what? Briefly discuss three related implications of having the Rio's stream channel winding its way through downtown and Southside - implications for either the physical or human environments of Southside, or both. 4) What does the city intend to do to eliminate the threat of flooding in the north downtown and southside areas? Discuss one possible scenario for the future of development in Southside if this occurs. 1) What is the cultural significance of this part of South Side? Briefly discuss how the local population here was rooted in the local economy beginning more than a century ago. 2) Briefly discuss the idea and purpose of urban renewal. When was this popular in America, and why did it become so unpopular as the years passed? 3) What geographical aspects (social, economic, etc.) might have made this South Side neighborhood a prime candidate for urban renewal projects a few decades ago? Why? 4) Did a major urban renewal project ever take place here in South Side? Why or why not? Briefly explain this situation using the concept of use values versus exchange values. Who was promoting each type of value, and why? 1) Why can this location be considered a geographical front, and how is this place similar in some ways to the periphery, or edge of town? Generally, in which direction is the front "moving"? 2) How can this area be interpreted as a zone in transition - and from what, to what?
CHAPTER 7: Northern Arizona University Campus: A Century of Growth at NAU 1) In what fundamental way did the American university system - including NAU - follow the general principles of medieval English universities? What types of activities and services, therefore, can be expected for a campus such as that of NAU? 2) Briefly discuss two primary ways in which the typical American university deviated from its traditional English forerunners, creating a distinctly American landscape pattern. 3) When did the major periods of growth take place at NAU (including all its predecessor names)? What national geographic trend still taking place today explains the most recent period of growth at NAU, and why? 4) There was a time when NAU grew very little during the 20th century. When was NAU's most significant period of stagnation, and what is one indicator of this stagnation in the NAU landscape? Finally, what national trends and/or events led to this period of stagnation, and why? Break: NAU's Pedestrian Corridor 1) In what ways does the geographical layout of campus make it rather challenging to travel efficiently from one end of campus to another? How would you thus describe the friction of distance for the NAU campus? 2) Briefly comment on the philosophies of the new urbanism. In what significant ways does recent development at NAU reflect these dominant philosophies? Cite at least three examples. 3) What is a break in the landscape? Explain why one prominent break exists just north of the University Union. Importantly, what does this break have to do with specific types of survey systems and grid plans? Urban Infill: Cline Library 1) Who was Platt Cline? Why did the university name a building after him? 2) In what ways does Cline Library represent a sort of "global gateway" to NAU? Explain, and use some examples to support your answer. 3) Describe the concept of urban infill, and explain why Cline Library exemplifies this concept well. Historic District: NAU's North Campus 1) What does the architectural style of Old Main have in common with the Coconino County courthouse? Cite examples of how these two buildings are similar, and explain their stylistic "connection". 2) How did the prolonged, five-year construction of Old Main represent the concept of NIMBY? Be sure to include the definition of NIMBY in your answer, and how the local community was involved in the process. 3) Who was Lynn Banks McMullen, and in what ways did he influence the development of NAU's north campus? 4) Provide some examples of how various campus activities initially found at Old Main were decentralized as the campus continued to grow. Your examples should include specific buildings constructed for specific functions. 5) Explain the link between the National Register of Historic Places, the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, and the United States Secretary of the Interior. What does this indicate about the relative significance of the federal government's role in historic preservation? Greek Revival: Blome Building 1) Generally speaking, what are period styles of architecture, and when were they popular in the United States? (Review this concept in chapter 2) How does Blome Building represent period-style architecture? 3) What does the Neoclassical style symbolize in American history and society, and why is it considered to be a "revival" style? 4) Who was Dr. J. Lawrence Walkup, and what is his significance to NAU? (Unfortunately, Dr. Walkup died just recently, in August, 2002) 5) Briefly comment on the social aspects of ASC/NAU during the 1950s and 60s. What was it like to be a student here? Provide a few examples to illustrate NAU's sense of place at that time.
CHAPTER 8: Milton Avenue Approach Strip: Milton Avenue Corridor 1) When did auto-oriented commercial strips like Milton Avenue start to develop in the U.S., and what types of roadside services became prominent early on? 2) Where was/is the original Miracle Mile, and what was this place's basic purpose overall? How did Miracle Mile come to exemplify the process of imitation diffusion? 3) What is an approach strip, and why is Milton Avenue a decent example of one? What geographical features does Flagstaff's approach strip actually connect? Big Box: Barnes & Noble Bookstore 1) What are the economic and social connections between this store here and Flagstaff's downtown business district? What were the main concerns when this store was built? 2) If big-box discount stores represent the general trend of retailing in America today, then what retailing trends preceded the big box decades earlier? Discuss at least two general retail trends prior to the big box's popularity today. 3) What types of economic advantages do big box stores (and their parent companies) enjoy that smaller, family-owned businesses generally do not? How do economies of scale factor in to these advantages? 4) Discuss the different marketing and expansion strategies of Wal-Mart and Kmart. Which company had a much greater impact on rural, small-town America, and why? 5) Discuss two specific advantages and two disadvantages to having big box stores control retailing in our community. As an informed opinion, do you generally support or oppose the growth of more big box stores in places like Flagstaff? Why or why not? (Of course, there is no right or wrong answer here. This is merely an opportunity for you to think through the implications of a specific community issue).
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