ABSTRACT

This chapter begins by focusing on Hull-House; not only is it the "queen" of the settlement houses, but they also promoted the practices of social studies and mapping. It considers the practice and promotion of geography and mapping through social settlements' "social surveys". The practice of geography and mapping by the residents of Hull-House uniquely linked social science with social activism, as demonstrated by their community studies. In the course of their work, Hull-House residents practiced geography, demonstrating how place-based investigations and spatial analysis can illuminate social issues, disseminating these concepts throughout their networks, creating a culture of spatial analysis amongst Progressive Era activists, particularly women activists. The pioneering work of the Hull-House and settlement houses in systematically collecting and presenting data on communities was described by Chicago School of Sociology member Ernest Burgess, writing in 1916, as providing "social studies of permanent importance". Finally, the chapter explicates the ties between the nascent field of geography and Addams and Hull-House.