2 Papers at AAG 2010 - DC

Sorry for the slow down over the last few weeks. I've been swamped with a few projects, papers, and upcoming diagnostic exams.

I'm heading to the American Association of Geographers Annual Meeting in DC to present a paper on urban gardening/farming ("Planting Place: Examining Spatial Meanings in Post-Industrial Cities through Reactions to Urban Agriculture") and I am a co-author on a piece with Sara Metcalf entitled "S(t)imulating (S)pace: Cultivating a Postmodern Geographic (Con)science."

The two abstracts and presentation times are presented below - please swing by if you're at the conference!

Planting Place: Examining Spatial Meanings in Post-Industrial Cities through Reactions to Urban Agriculture
Thursday, 4/15/10 at 12:40 PM.
Author(s):
Michael J. Widener* - University at Buffalo
Sara S. Metcalf, PhD - University at Buffalo

Abstract:
Urban agriculture has gained considerable momentum in post-industrial Rust Belt cities over the past few decades, evidenced by an increasing number of community organizations partaking in the practice. With the emergence of community gardens and urban farms, a corresponding discourse about the meanings of urban space has begun to take shape in local media, politics, and communities. While not all reactions to urban farming are negative, the presence of dissent implies that what is at stake is more than food. At the heart of these discussions is the question - how can cities with increasing numbers of vacant lots, low income residents, and high unemployment rates restructure themselves to better serve their inhabitants?

Drawing upon analysis of media reports and public records relevant to the case of Buffalo, NY, this paper assesses local reactions of various actors to points of crisis where expectations of urban spaces are defied by the transgression of agriculture. However, the idea that previous land use must be perpetuated is diminishing. Such analysis reveals how meanings of place are challenged and transformed through changing land use practices, the development of local food economies, and new centers for community organization. Revised conceptions of the urban landscape then provide a context in which future planning and policy discussions can take place.




S(t)imulating (S)pace: Cultivating a Postmodern Geographic (Con)science
Saturday, 4/17/10 at 8:00 AM.
Author(s):
Sara Metcalf* - University at Buffalo
Michael Widener - University at Buffalo

Abstract:
At their best, simulation models link system structure to behavior for the purpose of changing structure to improve behavior. Because of this implicit normative emphasis, this paper (re)asserts the mutual relevance of critical social theory and simulation science. Placing postmodernism (and parentheses) in the title serves to underscore the multiplicity of meanings that can be inferred from a single string of text. Simulation is linked to stimulation, following from Resnick's (1994) emphasis on the latter goal. Space is linked to pace, the intrinsic dynamics of complex systems that manifest in spatial memory. The notion of "stimulating space" recalls the reflexive socio-spatial dialectic (Soja 1989) in the context of computer simulation, emphasizing the subjective role of the modeler in shaping model structure and outcomes. The (perhaps) counter-intuitive notion of a "postmodern science" may be mitigated by reading the latter as conscience, reaffirming the significance of subjectivity in harnessing science for the purpose of the common good. When used systematically, simulation models provide the opportunity to experiment with social theories infeasible (or otherwise inadvisable) to test in the "real" world. As an example, this paper outlines how the discounting of environmental concern with human experience in space-time may be explored through inclusion of mental models in software agents. While such models are never strictly true, through the iterative practice of modeling, they can become more relevant to system stakeholders, whose participation helps to expose and expand model boundaries to include information feedback and sources of delay beyond the perspective of the modeler.