Humanistic geography and behavioral geography represent two pivotal schools of thought within human geography, each possessing distinct theoretical and methodological foundations. Despite their significant potential for mutual enrichment, scholarly discourse, particularly within some regional academic contexts, has not fully explored the inherent complementarity between these two paradigms. This article offers a comparative study of their leading proponents, Yi-Fu Tuan for Humanistic Geography and Torsten Hägerstrand for Behavioral Geography, whose seminal works have profoundly influenced geography and cognate disciplines. Employing a tripartite analytical framework that examines representative figures-school characteristics-methodological system, this study meticulously compared their academic trajectories, core theoretical propositions, and methodological approaches. It specifically endeavored to uncover the humanistic undercurrents within Hägerstrand's time geography and to scrutinize the behavioral dimensions underpinning Tuan's experiential perspective. This comparative lens allowed for a nuanced analysis of each school's characteristics, thereby elucidating their critical distinctions and, more importantly, their areas of convergence. Both schools emerged from a shared critique of the "rational economic man" assumption prevalent during the quantitative revolution, instead emphasizing the intricate interplay of human behavior, emotion, and lived experience of place. In doing so, they introduced vital human-centered dimensions to geographical inquiry. A multi-dimensional analysis—encompassing ontological foci, philosophical foundations, epistemological stances, research methodologies, and practical applications—reveals significant compatibilities and potential synergies. The concept of "home", a profound concern for both scholars, serves as a compelling unifying thread, highlighting their shared commitment to understanding the deep meanings of place and human dwelling. This dialogue between Humanistic and Behavioral Geography not only facilitates theoretical cross-fertilization but also promises to stimulate new theoretical innovations. The article concludes by advocating for continued and strengthened exchanges among diverse schools within geography. Such inter-paradigmatic dialogues are essential for identifying the unique methodological value of each school, exploring fruitful integrations of ideas, theories, and methods, and ultimately propelling the ongoing development of the geographical discipline.

The development of information and communication technology and the penetration of mobile smart devices enable information dissemination and social interaction to overcome the barriers of geographical distance, greatly expanding the scope and depth of interaction between individuals and space. The fusion of real and virtual spaces has led to a new paradigm of individual behavior patterns and research on cyber-mobility. The study of personal mobilities in both physical and virtual spaces has received growing attention by contemporary scholars in geography, sociology, and economics. This article reviewed the geographical research on cyber-mobility from the geographical societal perspectives by Aharon Kellerman, a professor of human geography at the University of Haifa. Based on advanced research and understanding of the time-space framework of personal mobility and geographical interpretations of cyberspace, Kellerman delved into exploring the ways of personal mobilities and spatiotemporal behavior patterns of individuals in the process of using the internet from the dual perspectives of individual "social people" and "incarnations", and further participated in the research in the fields of human behavior patterns, virtual community, virtual activity space, and so on. His theory and empirical research help Chinese scholars to deepen their understanding of the role of virtual space and network technology from both micro and macro perspectives, and the relationship between real and virtual spaces, and to further explore the interactions between individuals and real space and cyberspace and urban space reconstruction.

Ron Johnston is a world-renowned human geographer and historian of geographic thought. In his fruitful life, he made unparalleled contribution to the discipline of human geography. His contribution is not only reflected in his empirical research in urban geography, political geography, and political science with many academic journal papers, but also in his pioneering research on the history of geographical thought and quantitative research methods, and classic works such as Geography and Geographers. He published more than 40 academic monographs, including Philosophy and Human Geography, On Human Geography, and Putting Votes into Their Place: Geography and Elections in Great Britain, edited or coedited more than 40 academic monographs, including A Dictionary of Human Geography, The Future of Geography, and A Century of British Geography. As a university faculty, teaching is one of the three academic works. Johnston acted as course instructor for undergraduate courses such as Urban Geography, Urbanization, Internal Structure of the City, Philosophy and Methodology of Human Geography, Political Geography, State and Economic Restructuring, Contemporary Economic and Political Issues, Geography of Election, Research Methods, Multivariate Statistical Analysis, The State and the Environment, An Introduction to Geography, and for graduate courses, including Urban Geography, Urban Internal Structure, and Multivariate Statistics/Computing. As an advisor, Johnston supervised 47 graduate students. He wrote several important textbooks, including Multivariate Statistical Analysis in Geography: A Primer on the General Linear Model and Geography of Elections. He also set us a good example in terms of academic service. He coedited both Progress in Human Geography and Environment and Planning A: Economy and Space for 25 years (1979-2004), and served on countless editorial boards. He also often served as an external reviewer, participating in the evaluation of dissertations, research fund proposals, professional training programs, book manuscripts, RAE (research assessment exercise), REF (research excellence framework), professional title promotion, and so on. He published many book reviews to build healthy academic community culture. Ron Johnston's diligence, persistence, kindness, and warm and academic service spirit will always inspire us to move forward. We, as Chinese counterparts, can learn a lot from Ron Johnston as a professor and a member of the academic community.

Digital technologies and big data are transforming many aspects of urban society and daily lives, which is becoming a new growth area for research in human geography as well as other fields of social sciences. In order to explore the latest international hotspots of urban social geography in the digital context, this article started from the digital lives and data-driven smart urbanism research of Rob Kitchin, a professor of geography and former director of the Maynooth University Social Sciences Institute at Maynooth University in Ireland, and examined his main contributions to seek inspiration and Chinese orientation for urban social geography from a Western perspective. First, we carried out a path and network analysis of the academic career, research content, and their relationships of Rob Kitchin. Second, this article elaborated his academic views, theoretical methodologies, and practical applications from the perspectives of digital lives and smart urbanism. The article also interpreted the core theoretical perspectives of slow computing and explored cutting-edge themes in the smart life, including data theory, humanization of algorithms, and the interaction between urban technology and social lives. Finally, we drew a critical conclusion and pointed out the relevant research issues that need to be discussed urgently, such as data coupling, data sharing, and digital inclusion, among others. Additionally, the article provided some insights into the development of urban social geography, urban planning, and Chinese avenues for contemporaneous research.