A cursory examination of the social and technological change agents which may impact some traditional geographical concepts drawn from a popular geography text. This was done about the time of the book's publication in 1970 (hence the obsolescent terminology)!

From R.L. Morrill,
The Spatial Organization
of Society
, Wadsworth
Publishing Co, 1970
Change Agent
Physician's OfficeTrend toward group practice in clinics
-- computer consulting service---
remote diagnosis-- telemetering of
physiological information -- integration
with human development service
"Transportation also depends
on land-form conditions" (p. l0)
ATVs, STOL/VTOL aircraft, GEMs
(ground effect machines),
helicopters, electronic communication
"Urban and industrial settlement
in rugged terrain is costly" (p. 10)
Prefabs, GEMs, automation,
electronic communication,
remote control
"Agriculture is limited to locations
where the climate is suitable" (p. 10)
Nuplexes, weather control, hydroponics,
artificial photosynthesis,
factory-produced synthetic food,
plant engineering
"Persons at a greater distance
from a major center of control
must pay extra costs
and are placed in an unequal position"
(p. 13)
Satellite audio-visual communication,
CATV, telefactoring, ESP
"There is often a very great contrast
between the cultural capital and the
provincial capital" (p. 14)
Mass media, ETV, communication
satellite, miniaturized libraries
"The benefits of agglomeration."
(p. 14)
Electronic communication, N/C
machine tools, remote shopping,
time-sharing (T/S) computation
"The size and complexity of the
units of organization have great
influence on iocation and development"
(p. 14)
Electronic communication,
OLRT T/S systems
"The shape of units of organization ...
significantly affects the cost of
maintaining control..." (p. 14)
Information technology
"Relative location
- natural waterways
- transportation net
- centers of development"
(p 15)
Information technology, ATVs,
VTOL a/c
"Virtually all theory of spatial
organization assumes that the structure
space is based on the principles
minimum distance and maximum utility
of points and areas within the structure. .."
(p. 15)
Electronic communication,
personal space, mental health,
pollution control
"Level of development" (as a locational
determinant) (p. 16)
Automation, remote control
"Returns to scale" (p. 17)Pollution control, automation ,
OLRT T/S systems, need for
redundancy
"Kind of Social and Economic System

"price---provldes a mechanism
for achieving the efficient use of
space..." (p. 18)
Mental health,personal space,
automated abundance economics,
affluence, social costs
"political influences"Multinational corporations,
economic communities,
separatism, government contracts,
role of universities, planetization
"Goals of Spatial Behavior:

1. to max the net utility of areas...at minimum
input

2. to max the spatial inter-relations at
minimum cost

3. to bring related activities as close
together as possible

4. (some people satisfice instead of maximize.)
(p. 20)
Maximize human welfare,
bioengineering,
psychopharmacology,
electronic communication
"Govemment policies add to the problem
by guaranteeing the right to be a farmer
and increasing arable land with irrigation projects."
(p. 49)
Computerized central
accounting systems, remote-sensing
satellites, self-actualization, automation,
computerized bargaining
"Towns grew up as an extension of...
principle of minimizing distance."
(p. 61 )
Or of maximizing social
inter-communication;
electronic communication
can further increase this
without distance constraint.
Electronic shopping, education,
medical diagnosis and treatment,
legal advice etc., self diagnosing
equipment (cars, TVs, appliances, etc.)
via minicomputers
"Families cannot stock groceries
for long periods, and people demand
that such activities be reasonably close."
(p. 63)
Remote-shopping via home consoles,
etc., makes closeness irrelevant
(24 hour servlce?)
"Central place theory" (minimum aggregate
travel point)
Travelling salesman problem,
electronic shopping, "global village",
growth of specialized cities,
experimental and intentional communities,
guerrilla TV via cassette and cable,
standardization and modularization
"...larger places having greater quantities
of the same goods will have a competitive
advantage"
(p. 71 )
Electronic audio-visual shopping,
electronic catalogue In OLRT T/S mode,
electronic banking, antimaterialist trend
"To keep in business, the retail outlet
chooses a location

1....central accessibility
2....mutually beneficial groups
3. ..as far from competing groups
as possible ( p. 74)
Electronic OLRT T/S information system,
automated warehouses, rapid transit,
electronic travel to Paris and
Tokyo fashion centers
"Wholesale trade

"The producer can neither spend
the time nor afford to handle countless
small orders from retailers

(ditto in reverse for retailers)"
(p. 76)
Computer's speed and flexlbility
may reduce these problems in an
automated physical distribution system,
leading to direct producer-consumer flows
" industrial banking and investment services
seek large-city and downtown locations
for the convenience of... customers..."
(p. 77)
Electronic intercommunication
financial systems (e.g. NASDAQ)
"Schools need to be located
centrally for their pupils"
(p. 78)
CAI, OLRT information systems,
home audio-visual consoles,
electronic library systems
"weakening of regional and
local self-sufficiency by great
demand for long-distance movement
of raw materials " (p. 80)
Molecular engineering,
thermonuclear power, ocean-
mining ,asteroid mining,
plastic substitutes,
movement of process information
"Factors determining industrial
location" (pp. 80-86)
Ecological control
"Capital"Information economy
"Agglomeration economies"Electronic surveillance (protection),
individualized waste and energy systems,
machine systems, pollution control,
automation, shorter workweek (enabling
longer journey-to-work,(if relevant))
"Returns to scale"Machine flexibility with
computer control,
mass production of job-lots
"Ideal urban rent gradient" (p. 165)OLRT T/S information systems
replace CBD, and psychosocial
space enters
"Spatial substitutions:

1. ..land costs and transport costs
2. (a) .. production costs .. and
transport costs...
2. (b) ..production cost savings from
agglomeration and transport costs
2. (c).. self-sufficiency and trade
(pp. 176-177)
Also transportation and
communication may substitute
for one another
"Gradient-hierarchy landscape"
(p. 178)
Uniform, costless, communication net
"Regional structure" (p. 184)Geocoding and regional
information systems