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- Info
The living landscape: An ecological approach to landscape planning
| Author: |
Steiner, Frederick |
| Date: |
1991 |
| Periodical: |
New York, NY: Megraw-Hill, Inc. |
| Abstract: |
The landscapes of this planet need help. Conflicts over the use of land and about environmental and social degradation abound. Complex and often seemingly contradictory questions must be addressed: Where should new communities be located? How do new community developers accommodate housing that is affordable? Can new communities be designed that are safe, healthy, and beautiful? How can existing communities be revitalized and restored? Where can new development and open space be located in the existing built-up areas of metropolitan regions? Can we dispose of our hazardous and solid waste in a responsible manner? What about the alternatives of recycling our waste or simply using fewer hazardous products? How do we protect prime agricultural areas in urbanizing regions? Agriculture and urban uses often conflict, as do many old and new uses-retirement communities and mining, tourism and timber harvesting. Must such old and new uses always conflict? People often move to suburban and rural areas for open space and recreational amenities. In addition to causing problems for existing inhabitants, the new land uses created by the new residents often disrupt wildlife habitat and other environmentally sensitive areas. How do we plan open space that will allow both recreational uses and wildlife habitat? Sometimes new land uses are sited in areas that are susceptible to natural hazards. Can we use our growing knowledge about earthquakes, forest fires, hurricanes, and flooding to direct human uses to the safest locations? In seeking to address these questions, it is tempting to adopt a global perspective. Certainly many issues that prompt these questions exist internationally. But, because the legal, political, economic, and cultural forces vary widely from nation to nation, I have chosen to focus on planning in the United States. United States' citizens share a common boundary and cultural heritage with Canadians. Canada made many advances in environmental planning during the 1980s, when the national leadership in the United States retreated from environmental concerns. Because I have been influenced by Canadian policy and because several Canadian colleagues have read and reviewed portions of this book in its manuscript form, I hope that some Canadians may find it useful for their work. I also hope that my international work filters through the pages that, follow. The focus, however, is on the United States. Americans seem to have an especially difficult time sharing when it comes to the land. We have set aside spectacular natural landscapes, but despoil other beautiful places with garish signage, trash, and just plain ugly buildings. We Americans produce garbage at an unequaled pace; yet resist the location of waste dumps in our neighborhoods. We seek to live in the countryside but, once we settle in a rural area, try to prevent farmers from continuing their normal, sometimes dirty and smelly, activities. We do not want the government to tell us what to do with our land, but we seek help from the government in times of natural disaster. We want our neighborhoods to be squeaky clean but turn our backs to poor people who live in substandard housing, or in trailers, or on the street. To more fairly share the bounty of natural resources in the United States, we must ask: Who suffers and who benefits from our decisions? In making and adopting public policy, we must analyze who benefits and who pays for the decisions that elected leaders make. This book presents a framework for presenting information to decision makers. The preparation of the book grew out of my need to explain the planning process to my students. Most of these students have pursued degrees in planning, landscape architecture, and environmental science, but they and I have been enriched by others from geography, architecture, soil science, forestry, civil engineering, business, and sociology. Although written by a teacher, the book is based on my experience as a practitioner and researcher. Through my practical experience and research, 1 have sought to plan for places that are fit, adaptable, and delightful. Planning is more than a tool or a technique; it is a philosophy for organizing actions that enable people to predict and visualize the future of any land area. Moreover, planning gives people the ability to link actions on specific parcels of land to larger regional systems. It is up to us to plan with vision. Our responsibility is to retain what we treasure, because we are merely guests on those spaces of the earth that we inhabit. We should leave good impressions about our visit. |
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