Genoa Township is a central location in Southeastern Michigan to many of the major cities including Ann Arbor, Detroit, Flint and the capitol city of Lansing. This township is a bedroom community for many of the major cities. “As of the census of 2010, there are 19,281people, 7,807 households, and 5,647 families residing in the township.” ("Genoa Charter Township - Official Government Site - Livingston County Michigan", n.d.). According to Fouberg, et.al (2012) “location highlights how the geographical position of people and things on Earth’s surface affects what happens and why. Location helps to establish the context within which events and processes are situated.”
Another aspect of location that geographers use is called location theory. “Location Theory- an element of contemporary human geography that seeks answers to a wide range of questions – some of them theoretical, others highly practical: Why are villages, towns and cities spaced the way they are? A geographer versed in location theory might assess where a Super Target should be built, given the characteristics of existing neighborhoods and new developments, the median income of the people, the locations of other shopping areas, and the existing and future road system.” (Fouberg, Murphy, & Blij, 2012, p. 11-13). In this township there are many places for shopping, dining and entertainment.
There is a local theater, plenty of restaurants, and a strip mall just off of the highway. Geographers must be able to spend time and use research to get a good understanding of where an ideal location would be for a large and important building to be placed. The Genoa Township Hall, located in Brighton, Michigan, is in an ideal location because of its accessibility, being just a few minutes out of town and right off the main roads. This accessibility makes it an ideal place for government affairs.
Place
Place is the second of the five themes of geography that will be addressed. The theme of place is an interesting one to discuss because it does not have a set-in-stone definition, but is defined by people and their experiences. “People develop a sense of place by infusing a place with meaning and emotion, by remembering important events that occurred in a place, or by labeling a place with a certain character. Because we give meaning to places, we can have a feeling of “home” when we are in a certain place.” (Fouberg, Murphy, & Blij, 2012, p. 11-13).
One example of a feeling of “home” is looking at one of the elected officials of Genoa Township. The township Office Supervisor and Board of Trustees Chairman, Gary McCririe, is a local resident that is active in our community and went to high school with my Dad. At the Genoa Township Hall some of the things that are used to commonly identify its “place” are the play park, sledding hill, and soccer fields. It is also associated with many local government activities such as utilities, bills, voting, and waste removal/disposal.
The township hall and surrounding properties are a place where families can play and create memories together. I have fond memories of taking many sledding trips with my Dad and siblings during the cold winter months. It is a place where official government decisions are made and local government services are provided. The initial perception of this place is positive due to its community friendly environment. Patriotism, demonstrated by the large and prominently displayed American flag, community, and family are some of the values represented and associated at this place.
Movement
“Movement refers to the mobility of people, goods, and ideas across the surface of the planet. Movement is an expression of the interconnectedness of places. (Spatial interaction between distances among the accessibility of places, and the transportation and communication connectivity among places.)” (Fouberg, Murphy, & Blij, 2012, p. 11-13). Movement is an important theme to remember when discussing the township hall. The theme of movement is portrayed when ideas are shared. Many of the important township meetings are held at this location.
During the meetings of the Zoning Board, The Board of Trustees or Planning Committee, many different ideas are shared and discussed creating changes in our township. By choosing an ideal location just off of the main roads, the township has increased the accessibility of the township hall and allows for an interconnectedness of the community. From the Township Hall, you are able to hear the traffic from I-96 while enjoying the beautiful foliage native to Michigan. Movement is a theme that can easily be seen at the township hall, whether the movement of people from one location to another or the sharing of ideas to improve the quality of life in the community.
Human Environment Interaction
The next of the five themes that will be addressed is the topic of human environment interaction. Human environment interactions are the things that we do to the environment to make it suit our needs (i.e. leveling ground to build houses, moving water from one place to another to make land more accessible, making roads, etc.). Any building, road, sign, or form of civilization we see can be labeled as human environment interaction.
Some of the human environment interaction that we see in the Genoa Township Hall and surrounding property are the freshly paved road leading up to the building, the expanded and lighted parking lots for the park, the smooth, 45 degree angle of the man-made sledding hill, evenly-spaced lights along the drive of the building and in the parking lot, the township hall building, the park play structure, restroom facilities, directional signs on the property and many other signs of civilization comprise the many interactions with the environment.
These interactions mentioned create a safe environment for work and play. The directional and traffic signs provide safety for pedestrians and drivers. The sledding hill, play structure, and soccer fields provide ideal locations for family fun. The Township Hall building provides a place for board meetings to be held, a place for offices to be located, and a place for information to be collected, organized, and made accessible to those who have need of it.
Region
The final theme, region, will be discussed. Elements that create a region or regions are “distinctive features that tend to be concentrated in a particular area.” (Fouberg, Murphy, & Blij, 2012, p. 11-13) Some of the distinctive features in this region of southeastern Michigan are climate and landscape. “Temperatures in the Midwestern part of the U.S. can swing 100 or more degrees between winter and summer. In winter, temperatures can fall below zero in many parts of the region…spring and autumn temperatures tend to be moderate, ranging from the 50s to 70s. Summers in the Midwest tend to be humid and hot.
Temperatures in the 80s and 90s are common…Rain is a common occurrence in the Midwest. From spring through early fall, rain will typically fall a few days a week in many parts of the region….Snow is also standard in winter months...” ("Typical Climate of the Midwestern United States | USA Today", n.d.) Recently Michigan has experienced negative temperatures and a heaping snowfall measuring more than two feet! The landscape of the Genoa Township Hall is grassy and mostly flat excluding the man-made sledding hill on the property.
In this region of the Midwest, beautiful foliage and lakes, are parts of the landscape that people commonly enjoy. At the township hall, city and country are connected. The city is only a few minutes away from the township hall, and yet there is enough distance to enjoy the pleasures of the country. Wildlife can be observed during the early hours of the day from the Township Hall, and as people start to head off to work, the deer and birds head back to the woods. This region is a beautiful expression of God’s green Earth.
After using the five themes of geography to explore the Genoa Township Hall, more thorough knowledge has been acquired of this area than a casual passerby would know. To review, the five themes of geography are: location, place, human environment interaction, movement, and region. When exploring the location of the Township Hall, we were able to discover its ideal spot, being a central destination for many people who work in the large cities. The Township Hall’s “place” is defined by many different things, the government services available in the building, the park, the soccer fields, and sledding hill.
Human Environmental Interactions that have taken place on this property have resulted for positive values being prominent. The changes of a government building, sledding hill, soccer fields and play park display the values of patriotism, community and family. People commuting to work and ideas being shared are two things that are associated with movement at the Genoa Township Hall. When discussing the fifth theme, region, the beauty of the landscape and climate were touched on. By using the five themes of geography, we were able to learn about the location, place, human environment interactions, movement, and region of the Genoa Township Hall.
