I disagree - I've seen this ethos in other forums and think it's overly intrusive if enforced.
If somebody is asking for a recommendation where their location is important, then they can choose to make it available if they want help.
What I think doesn't help is:-
a) a default assumption of where people live (which in itself, tends to cause this sort of situation where some want it to be made overt)
b) some dogma that by knowing it automatically improves things
If I want to join a forum, and it's mandatory to start disclosing such things, I'll either not join, or obfuscate it. Not because I'm paranoid, and not because I have something to hide, per se - merely that I want some degree of anonymonity online - and again, not because I want to behave without accountability, but I have encountered some utter, obsessive kooks online, which has made me personally believe that there are times when less is more.
If somebody is asking for help and their location is an important factor, they can choose to disclose it (or not) which may well have a bearing on what / how much help they get. But in general, some people may well have good reason to not want to make that always obvious.