Comparative geographical analysis of student mental maps of Stavropol and Pyatigorsk

Abstract

The article attempts to identify and analyze students’ mental and geographical representations of urban space. The two largest cities of the Stavropol Territory, which are student centers in the region, are considered. The information base of the study is based on social mapping during a survey of students in Stavropol and Pyatigorsk. The views and ideas of modern geographers on mental mapping of cities are analyzed and used in practice. The research methodology is based on the study of mental maps created directly by students. Using the spatial approach, the mental and geographical structure of the selected cities was identified and investigated. Student mental maps have a linear-node type of structure, in which linear elements correspond to the streets of the city, nodes are represented by different types of points of interest. Generalization of the collected data made it possible to compile and study a mental and geographical model of Stavropol and Pyatigorsk. In these models, mental clusters and the factors of their formation are identified and investigated. Universities have played an important role in the formation of mental constructions about urban areas among students. The quality of student mental maps depends on their location, place in the history of cities, and participation in urban processes. Using the example of urban transport, trade and food networks, a number of cases and practices of forming mental elements in students are considered. In the course of a comparative analysis of cities, their similar and specific features are determined from the point of view of student perception of urban space. Quantitative comparisons of cities are not possible, the potential of similar studies lies in highlighting urban uniqueness and solving local urban problems.