Geographical Theories

The emergence of geographical theory was an inevitable product of the desire to systematize existing geographic knowledge and to use that systematized base to explore new areas of knowledge. Although the usefulness of theory and predictive models in geography is by now a matter of record, it was not always the case. The usefulness and need for theories was often disputed, despite the oft-repeated argument that theories of location explained the laws of spatial distributions, theories of interaction explain the laws of movement and spatial behaviour, theories of growth and development explain the nature of past, present, and future states of being, and theories of decision-making and choice explain observable regularities and repeatable trends in individual, group, institutional and governmental behaviours. Hudson (1969) argued that a theory represents a direct attempt to provide a logical system or nesting place for previously noted regularities – in his case concerning changes in rural settlement patterns. While Hudson’s task was specific, the sentiment he expressed has widespread relevance for the emergence and adoption of geographical theories generally.