75th anniversary of strong motion observation—A historical review

This review describes the experience accumulated in the field of recording earthquake motions up to the early 1900s, and then it discusses the key players who contributed to the first successful strong motion observation program in earthquake engineering in the 1930s. It begins by summarizing the accomplishments of the preceding seismological observations, which provided the stepping-stone ideas on how to construct the first strong motion accelerograph. Next, it describes the lack of optimism among the engineers in the early 1900s, who doubted that structural response could ever be calculated for irregular earthquake ground motion—this was, of course, half a century before the appearance of fast digital computers—but also their realization that something needed to be done to reduce the hazards from earthquakes. The roles of the two pioneers Kyoji Suyehiro and John Freeman, whose vision, leadership, and perseverance launched the strong motion observation program in 1932, are then briefly discussed. Finally, the mechanical characteristics of the first strong motion accelerograph are outlined. The review is completed by illustrating the growth of the strong motion observation programs in selected seismic areas of the world and the fruits of these programs—the cumulative number of uniformly processed strong motion records in southern California.     

John Wood 2: Planning and Paying for His Town Plans

Abstract

John Wood, the 19th-century urban cartographer, surveyed almost 150 towns spread widely across Great Britain. His detailed large-scale plans are an astounding achievement. In light of this, two questions are posed: did he have a strategy that guided the places which he surveyed; and how did he pay for his work, given that so few copies of his plans appear to have been produced for sale – or at least to have survived.     

John Dewey’s metaphysical ground-map and its implications for geographical inquiry

John Dewey was the most significant and influential thinker associated with the American philosophy commonly known as pragmatism. Drawing on Dewey’s writings as well as the work of Deweyan scholars, I endeavor to explain Dewey’s unique contribution to philosophical discourse and how his overlooked scholarship can inform geographical inquiry. After an introduction, I provide a background understanding of Dewey and his context as well as the use of his philosophy in geography and sociology. I then turn to an exposition of Dewey’s metaphysics which are the heart of his philosophy. My discussion breaks his metaphysics into four parts: nature and continuity, contingency and change, situated sociality, and transaction. The subsequent section argues for Dewey’s distinction and value by arguing a particular implication of Dewey’s work for geography—a reconceptualization of place—and more general propositions about what a Dewey-informed geography would, at minimum, entail. A brief conclusion summarizes the Deweyan vision in the context of geographical inquiry.