This book identifies and discusses research directions, challenges and achievements in contemporary geography. It also documents the most current theoretical and methodological considerations undertaken by scientists representing various sub-disciplines of geography with particular reference to human geography. It was assumed that the thematic structure of the currently active International Geographical Union (IGU) problem commissions corresponds to the most relevant and current research directions in geography. Reflecting this assumption, the book consists of 14 chapters contributed by geographers representing 14 problem commissions of the IGU, which allows us to examine geography from different perspectives and to provide the reader with a complete overview of contemporary research issues in human geography.

The first part discusses contemporary research problems and issues related to scientific methodology and achievements of selected geographical sub-disciplines, including urban geography, agricultural geography, transport geography, and political geography, among others. The second part focuses on the interdisciplinarity of geography and the topics of global dimension undertaken by geographers such as global change, GIS and geospatial technology, marginalization, and environmental change. This part also discusses the internal relations between geographical specializations and their links with other related sciences, including geology, sociology, and economics. The third part discusses the holistic approaches of geography applied to particular regions, territories, or conditions (Africa, costal systems, geomorphology and local development).

Consists of contributions by the leaders of the International Geographical Union commissions Presents a concentrated and global view on contemporary research problems in geography Serves as source material for a lecture introducing geography as a subject of research

Autorentext

Jerzy Banski is a professor of human geography at the Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences (IGSO PAS), where he was the director in 2018-2021. His main research interests include rural and agricultural geography, land use, regional policy, and spatial organization and local development. Between 2006 and 2012, he was the president of the Polish Geographical Society. In 2017-2022, he was the chairman of the Local and Regional Development Committee of the International Geographical Union. He is an author of 400 publications, including 27 books and more than 200 peer-reviewed papers. He is the author and editor of books published by Springer and Routledge, among others.

Michael Meadows is the President of the International Geographical Union (IGU). He holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Sussex and a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, UK. His research interests lie in the area of physical geography, more specificallyconcerning Quaternary environmental change and the geomorphological and biogeographical impacts of natural and human-induced climate change. He is a Fellow of the Society of South African Geographers (2000), the Royal Geographical Society (2016), the Royal Society of South Africa (2016), the African Academy of Sciences (2018), the University of Cape Town (2018), the International Science Council (2022) and the Royal Scottish Geographical Society (2022).

Inhalt

Re-thinking cities and the urban: from the global to the local.- From the new world to multiple possible worlds: political geography, geopolitics and border studies.- New and emerging pathways for transport geography.- Geography and geographers in place and time: a view from the international geographical union's commission on the history of geography.- Innovative development of modern agricultural geographic engineering.- Integrating Geography for Global Sustainability and the Earth's Future: the role of International Geographical Union Commission on Geography of Future Earth.- Global change and human mobility in the Anthropocene.- Contribution of Geography and Geospatial Technology to Cope with Hazards and Risks: Implications of GIS Development in Japan.- Marginality issues in a time of world reorganization.- Land Use and Land Cover Changes in a Global Environmental Change Context.- The Contribution of Geography.- Coastal Systems: the dynamic interface between land and sea.- Advances in karst geomoprhology and hydrogeology research in the last decade and its future direction for karst land use planning.- Achievements and challenges of geographical research in Africa.- Issues and dilemmas of local and regional development in geographical research.