Cartographies of Danger: Mapping Hazards in America - Softcover

Monmonier, Mark

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0226534197 ISBN 13: 9780226534190

Publisher: University of Chicago Press, 1998

Synopsis

No place is perfectly safe, but some places are more dangerous than others. Whether we live on a floodplain or in "Tornado Alley," near a nuclear facility or in a neighborhood poorly lit at night, we all co-exist uneasily with natural and man-made hazards. As Mark Monmonier shows in this entertaining and immensely informative book, maps can tell us a lot about where we can anticipate certain hazards, but they can also be dangerously misleading.

California, for example, takes earthquakes seriously, with a comprehensive program of seismic mapping, whereas Washington has been comparatively lax about earthquakes in Puget Sound. But as the Northridge earthquake in January 1994 demonstrated all too clearly to Californians, even reliable seismic-hazard maps can deceive anyone who misinterprets "known fault-lines" as the only places vulnerable to earthquakes.

Important as it is to predict and prepare for catastrophic natural hazards, more subtle and persistent phenomena such as pollution and crime also pose serious dangers that we have to cope with on a daily basis. Hazard-zone maps highlight these more insidious hazards and raise awareness about them among planners, local officials, and the public.

With the help of many maps illustrating examples from all corners of the United States, Monmonier demonstrates how hazard mapping reflects not just scientific understanding of hazards but also perceptions of risk and how risk can be reduced. Whether you live on a faultline or a coastline, near a toxic waste dump or an EMF-generating power line, you ignore this book's plain-language advice on geographic hazards and how to avoid them at your own peril.

"No one should buy a home, rent an apartment, or even drink the local water without having read this fascinating cartographic alert on the dangers that lurk in our everyday lives. . . . Who has not asked where it is safe to live? Cartographies of Danger provides the answer."—H. J. de Blij, NBC News

"Even if you're not interested in maps, you're almost certainly interested in hazards. And this book is one of the best places I've seen to learn about them in a highly entertaining and informative fashion."—John Casti, New Scientist

About this title

Review:

With chapters titled "Death Tracks," "Ill Winds," and "Nuclear Nightmares," Mark Monmonier's book Cartographies of Danger is sure to appeal to anyone interested in natural or manmade disasters. But make no mistake--this book is not just another attempt to profit off of a scary topic. Mark Monmonier is a professor of geography at Syracuse University, and Cartographies of Danger is an in-depth look at the little-known science of hazard-mapping. As Professor Monmonier demonstrates, hazard-mapping is as much art as science; detailed seismic-hazard maps of California, for example, failed to indicate the potential for the disastrous Northridge earthquake of 1994. Yet despite its imperfection, hazard-mapping is a valuable exercise and one that will undoubtedly improve in the coming decades.

Cartographies of Danger doesn't restrict itself to natural hazards such as floods, earthquakes, or volcanoes; Professor Monmonier also covers crime, pollution, and radon using the same principles of hazard-mapping. His examples of hazard maps demonstrate the relationships among mapping, scientific understanding of hazards, and the perception of risk. In addition, the book gives practical advice on how to avoid geographic hazards.

About the Author:

Mark Monmonier is Distinguished Professor of Geography at Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. He is the author of more than twenty books and the editor of volume 6 of the History of Cartography series, published by the University of Chicago Press.

About this edition

• Publisher: University of Chicago Press
• Publication date: 1998
• ISBN 10: 0226534197
• ISBN 13: 9780226534190
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 377