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MAIN THEMES AND FRAMEWORK OF
THE CONFERENCE Johannes Gabriel Granö (1882-1956) was a famous theorist and investigator in geography and also the founder of modern geography in Estonia. In 1902-17 Granö investigated population, archaeology and geomorphology of Asia, especially Mongolia and Altai. In 1919-23 he worked as professor of geography at the University of Tartu. While working in Tartu, Granö laid foundations to regional studies in Estonia, studies of landscape regions and urban areas. He devised the scheme for dividing Estonia into regions and compiled instructions for investigating towns and parishes. In 1923 Granö became professor of geography at the University of Helsinki. Later (1926-45) he worked as professor as well as chancellor at the University of Turku, where he wrote his famous Reine Geographie (1929) ("Pure Geography" in English published in 1997), in which he summed up his views on geography. Edgar Kant (1902-78) was the most talented student of Granö. In 1926 Kant compiled an extensive study "Tartu. Etude d´un environnement et organisme urbain", and in 1928 was awarded the Edouard Gaudy medal by the Société de Géographie Commerciale de Paris. In his famous work "Bevölkerung und Lebensraum Estlands" (1935) Kant discussed the relations between man and environment and established the regularities of formation of the system of centres and their hinterlands on the example of Estonia. In 1936 Kant became professor of economic geography at the University of Tartu and in 1938 was elected as the head of the humanities section of newly founded Estonian Academy of Sciences. In 1941-1944 Kant was a temporary rector of the University of Tartu. In 1944 Kant emigrated to Sweden where he became a leader of the Lund school of geography. LOCAL CO-ORDINATOR: Prof Ott Kurs, Institute of
Geography, University of Tartu J.G.Granö and Edg. Kant were the pioneers of landscape research in Estonia. Their ideas on landscape analysis have influenced the research till today. Granö started to classify landscape regions in Estonia and initiated landscape studies. After leaving Estonia, he also to give the landscape classification of Finland. For him, humans and human perception played an important role in the landscape that should be taken into account. His students, later professors August Tammekann and Edg. Kant developed further human ecology approach and distinguished so called Upper- and Lower-Estonia territories up or below the ice water level about 10,000 years ago. In early 1930's Kant discovered also evidences of different economic development resulting from this divide: Upper-Estonia, this means Southern and Central Estonia characterised by fertile soils, was economically much more advanced than Lower Estonia, Western Estonia, islands and coastline. Kant urged on the cultural landscape studies, as research, delimitation, description, and explanation of cultural landscapes must follow the same rules applicable to the geographical study of every other landscape, that is underlining their artificial character shaped by human activities. In research of cultural landscape the geographer needs more than elsewhere the help of social and economic sciences to solve his tasks. LOCAL CO-ORDINATOR: Dr Hannes Palang, Institute of
Geography, University of Tartu  FIGURE 1. Landscape regions in Estonia by J.G.Granö. THEME THREE - Urban Geography Edg. Kant was an innovative urban geographer in the early 20th century. Kant developed new theories and methods for urban research, including the use of photography, statistics, maps, thematic cartography, etc. Kant found regularities in urban land prices as well as in functional division of urban land-uses. These findings are analogical with the results of the Chicago School and indicate the way for rising urban economy. Future patterns of urban growth in the city centres was one topic. The findings of Kant are evident even today: the spatial development of post-socialist Tartu indicates how well Kant understood the issues behind urban development. In contemporary urban geography the research themes are still those promoted by Kant: development and regeneration of CBD, impact of visual and symbolic urban landscape on the image of a city, physical and mental streams in the city, and urban networks. These topics are discussed from the 21st century viewpoints. LOCAL CO-ORDINATOR: Dr Jussi S. Jauhiainen,
Institute of Geography, University of Tartu Egd. Kant also studied the relations between the city and hinterland and indicated hierarchical urban network structures. Kant began studying the mutual relations of centres already in 1920's and, in early 1930's, simultaneously with Walter Christaller, Kant presented Central Place Theory. His approach was, indeed, less abstract, but it was, on the other hand, instantly applied in practice. Estonia introduced first scientifically designed reformation of first tier administrative units (communes) in the World in 1938-1939. Central Place Theory, which was rediscovered in the end of 1950's, emerged as a creed of post-war normative planning. However, theory and practice of the 1960's and 1970's have been replaced by modern keywords like access, networks, and milieu. These ideas can be found in Kant's human ecology approach, which related climate, landscapes and human spiritual life. LOCAL CO-ORDINATOR: Dr Garri Raagmaa, Institute of
Geography, University of Tartu  Figure 2. The system of central places in Estonia by Edg. Kant |
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