Geowalk of Downtown Chattanooga

A detailed Summary of Geowalk of Downtown Chattanooga

Cultural geography of individual cities contributes greatly to the diversity of a culture. Cultural geography is considered a wide-ranging and comprehensive field. Artifacts of our culture constantly surround us every day. The six major parts of cultural geography are the following: cultural diffusion, cultural landscapes, cultural environments, cultural perception, culture regions, and culture hearths

The geowalk begins at the entrance to the Tennessee Aquarium. Now walk south on Broad Street until you reach Fifth Street. Then turn east toward Market Street. Finally turn north, back to the starting point at the Aquarium. As I walked around the downtown area, I noticed the various types of cultural geography present. I will focus on five of the six major areas of cultural environment (ecology), culture regions, and cultural perception.

The first type of geography I came into contact with was cultural landscape. The definition of cultural landscapes is the forms and artifacts sequentially placed on the physical landscape by the activities of various human occupants. This means that the people of particular cultures have

Cultural environment is defined as the multiple interactions and relationships between a culture and its natural environment. This particular type is considered a branch of cultural geography also known as cultural ecology. It seems as if the community has removed the original landscapes of nature, but is trying to replace them with new concrete landscapes. One image that one can notice when traveling from 2nd Street/Market Street toward 5th Street/Market Street is that the buildings look old and more deteriorated the further one may walk.

Cultural hearths are the source area or place of origin of a major culture. Downtown Chattanooga is simply one example of a city nestled in a large culture hearth of the "South." This is the conclusion of my Geowalk throughout downtown Chattanooga. I have learned that the five main types of cultural geography discussed all contribute to the sixth main type which is Cultural hearths.

An example of the cultural landscapes is the building around the downtown area. The Aquarium and Bijou are excellent examples of the way two buildings can differ. The way that newer buildings differ from the historic ones is the types of bricks used to compose the outside or even the particular structure of the building. The Burger King, on the other hand, resembles a train depot from "olden" days.

The second type is cultural diffusion. Cultural diffusion is defined as the process of spreading and adoption of a cultural element, from its place of origin across a wider area. Downtown Chattanooga had many things that show how various cultures have diffused

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Approximate Word count = 1080
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: History