Project Assignment: Mapping Urbanization and Climate Change

Overview

As is noted on pages 12 through 14 of your Regions textbook, global climate change resulting from the proliferation of greenhouse gases in the earth's atmosphere is resulting in a marked (and quite rapid from an earth systems perspective) transformation of climate characteristics throughout the world. While the effects of global climate change vary by location and region, the general global trend points to accelerating and ongoing climate warming. At the same time, the world's population is more urbanized than it has been at any other time in history. While most dwellers of urban areas may not experience first-hand the consequences of climate change for essential human activities ranging from agriculture to energy production, all persons are subject to being affected by climate change. In this project, you will explore the connections between climate change and urbanization using interactive Web-based story mapping.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this project, you will have learned:

• About the geography and history of urbanization globally;
• About the past, present, and future state of climate change and its myriad consequences;
• How to craft a narrative in cartographic form using the Environmental Systems Research Inc. (Esri) Story Map platform.

Requirements

For this project you are required to craft a Web-based interactive story map focusing on the connections between climate change and urbanization. Your story map will be structured as a journey through selected locations that exemplify the relationship between urbanization and climate change; the locations that you select are up to you, but your story map should, like all good stories, be structured as a cohesive and meaningful narrative where all components of the map contribute to a broader message. Use of the course discussion forum to share ideas about possible themes and topics is encouraged.

Following are requirements for your story map:

• Your story map must be constructed using the Esri Story Maps Web application.

• Several modes and story map types are available within the Story Maps platform. Your story map should take one of two forms: a Story Map Tour or a Story Map Journey. A Story Map Tour is better suited to non-linear, map-based navigation, while a Story Map Journey is better to use when you prefer your audience to navigate through the content sequentially. Think carefully about your topic and outline your story map's contents upfront and pick a mode that is appropriate for that topic. Explore the possibilities in the Esri Story Map Gallery.

• You are free to select any relevant topic/theme and any appropriate geographic scale for your story map. If you wish to explore consequences of climate change within a single region, that is fine -- or if you wish to examine connections between climate change and urbanization globally, that is equally acceptable.

• Your name, followed by "A GEOG 6 Story Map" must be included in the header of your story map. Learn how to create your story map through the Esri Story Map Resources page.

• Your story map must include at least ten locations, each of which must be tied to a defined location. For each location, you must include at least one media resource and text concisely explaining the significance of the location to your project's narrative.

• Your map must draw upon and cite at least ten media sources (i.e. at least one media source for each location in your story map) and five non-media sources beyond the textbook;

• Non-media sources must be (1) scholarly articles, (2) policy papers published by recognized institutions, or (3) news media articles published by reputable media organizations. Other sources of information are not acceptable for this project ("fake news" need not apply!)

• Citations of all sources, multimedia and non-media, must be included in the text captions for each story map location individually.

• Sharing settings must be configured to make your story map accessible to the public, and your submission for the project should consist of a Web URL pointing to your work.

• Be creative, have fun and share your knowledge through your story map!

• If you enjoy creating maps, consider enrolling in GEOGRAPHY 7 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems!

Here is the link:

Esri Story Maps, Esri Story Map Gallery, Esri Story Map Resources.