California’s Land Use and Economy
Description
The goal for this final assignment is for students to apply their knowledge of the many aspects of California geography to a smaller region of their choice. This will require the students to interpret local economic, government and land use data, summarize the results and provide an analysis of their chosen region. Choose an urban/suburban (city), agricultural (county), or recreational (state/national park) location in California. You can use the same area done in the history activity. Research and analyze the area while considering the following questions: – What is the land used for? Need statistics (for example; x% residential, y% industrial, etc.) along with specific examples. If this information is not found directly, use a zoning map to analyze and make estimates. – How is the chosen area managed? Is there a governing body? Include the names of current personnel managing the city/area. – What is the economy of this area? In other words, how does it make money to support itself (need dollar figures, budgets, actual values gathered from revenue sources)? Think of the infilling process, what was built to get people to spend money? What do cities collect from residents and visitors? Discuss how the economy connects with the land use breakdown. – Must have hard data to support observations (be sure data is within the last 5-8 years). If any graphs or charts are included (a good idea) they must be referenced and explained within the text of the paper. This data needs to be balanced with personal observations analyzing and reacting to the information gathered After you have collected the data write a three-four page account of your findings. An introduction and conclusion are necessary. In addition to the information, including your reactions and experiences with this location. Do the statistics you found to concur with your personal experience or would you have guessed otherwise? Why? Showing the depth of understanding and application of the data is key for this project.
