CONCEPT OF PROJECT IN TIME-GEOGRAPHY AND ITS EMPIRICAL CASE STUDIES
Kajsa Ellegård1, LIU Bo-chu2, ZHANG Yan3, CHAI Yan-wei2
1. School of Technology and Social Change, Linköping University, Linköping 58183, Sweden;
2. College of Urban and Environmental Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China;
3. Institute of Beijing Studies, Beijing Union University, Beijing 100101, China
Abstract As a comprehensive ecological approach, time-geography helps geographers investigate and reveal the relations between objects, activities and behaviors from people-oriented perspective. The concept of project can build up a bridge between intentions and activities, based on which, the occurrence and implementation of spatial-temporal behaviors could be better demonstrated, interpreted and even predicted. An integral project, where time is regarded as a process constantly transforming future into past, is comprised of three stages including conceiving a plan or vision, realizing the plan or vison by performing activities and reflecting on and impacted by what have taken place, based on which, formulation of the "close loop" process of individual spatial-temporal decision making is demonstrated. By analyzing intersection of individual and organizational projects, the individual spatial-temporal behaviors and the relationship between individual and organizational projects can be clarified. Based on the concept of project, the case study of the Volvo Uddevalla plant elaborates how to change production system and the structure of management which further influenced on the realization of improving efficiency. In sum, the conceptual framework of project would have the potential to break through the prevailing paradigm of spatial-temporal behavior research, where activities are often aggregated to analyze according to the category or the sequence of activities conducted.
2016, Vol. 31 
