Dealing with where people and human activities are located, why they are situated in particular locations, and what significance these observed arrangements represent, this text adopts a social science perspective while applying concepts from the physical sciences where needed. The book covers such geo-social issues as political conflict, urbanization, migration patterns and economic development.
Dr. James M. Rubenstein received his Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins University in 1975. His dissertation on French urban planning was later developed into a book entitled The French New Towns (Johns Hopkins University Press). In 1976 he joined the faculty at Miami University, where he is currently Professor of Geography. Besides teaching courses on Urban and Human Geography and writing textbooks, Dr. Rubenstein also conducts research in the automotive industry and has published two books on the subject entitled The Changing U.S. Auto Industry: A Geographical Analysis (Routledge) and Making and Selling Cars: Innovation and Change in the U.S. Auto Industry (The Johns Hopkins University Press). Originally from Baltimore, he is an avid Orioles fan. Stormy, a lab-pointer mix, takes Dr. Rubenstein for a long walk in the woods every day.
This book is dedicated to Bernadette Unger, Dr. Rubenstein's wife, who has stuck with him through thick and thin. Dr. Rubenstein also gratefully thanks the rest of his family for their love and support.