The Ten Big Questions in Geography

This is from an article I previously wrote for another website - "How to Know the Big Questions in Geography" - found at:
How to Know the Big Questions in Geography

An article appearing in the August 2002 issue of the academic journal "Professional Geographer" by Cutter, Golledge, and Graf, discusses ten big questions that scholars and researchers working in the field of geography should be addressing through their research endeavors. The questions were in response to a challenge by a science correspondent for the New York Times, John Noble Wilford. Cutter, Golledge, and Graf (2002) respond to Wilford's challenge by articulating these ten big questions in geography research. The ten questions indeed carry with them important societal implications and they are broad enough so that most geographic scholarly research can fit within one of their frameworks. These questions are meant to encourage geographic research that would generate public interest, media attention, as well as the respect of policy makers. This article presents the ten big questions in geography.

Geography Big Question #1: What makes places and landscapes different from one another, and why is this important?

Geography Big Question #2: Is there a deeply held human need to organize space by creating arbitrary borders, boundaries, and districts?

Geography Big Question #3: How do we delineate space?

Geography Big Question #4: Why do people, resources, and ideas move?

Geography Big Question #5: How has the earth been transformed by human action?

Geography Big Question #6: What role will virtual systems play in learning about the world?

Geography Big Question #7: How do we measure the unmeasurable?

Geography Big Question #8: What role has geographical skill played in the evolution of human civilization, and what role can it play in predicting the future?

Geography Big Question #9: How and why do sustainability and vulnerability change from place to place and over time?

Geography Big Question #10: What is the nature of spatial thinking, reasoning, and abilities?

The ten big questions in geography originally appeared in the following academic paper: Cutter, Susan L., Reginald Golledge, and William L. Graf. 2002. "The Ten Big Questions in Geography." Professional Geographer (August 2002): pages 305-317.

Original article by Paul McDaniel may be found here:
How to Know the Big Questions in Geography