The conflict along the Indiana shoreline of Lake Michigan highlights several Considerations which are of wider substantive and philosophical interest. First, the conflict illustrates the difficulties which arise as a result of the fact that a metropolitan area which is essentially a single geographical and functional entity occupies portions of several political units, including in this instance, two states and several counties and municipalities. Second, the conflict demonstrates the Potential value of comprehensive metropolitan and regional planning, which here is inhibited by the lack of political integration of the area. Such planning would include, after adequate study of the interrelations of supply and demand for land as a scarce commodity, a determination of the optimal allocation among the various potential uses in the best interests of the entire region. Even if the interstate conflicts cannot be resolved, a comprehensive plan for the Indiana portion of the rnetropolitan complex, or, lacking that, a comprehensive plan for Porter County alone, could have been the medium for resolution of the issues. The strength of the vested interests on all sides and at several political levels, has made resolution extremely difficult. Third, the four decades of delay since the first proposal for an interstate harbor illustrate the difficulties of rational development of facilities which would he of benefit to both states and which, even though not needed be some time into the future, should be protected against developments which may be incompatible and of lesser benefit in the long run. Fourth, the battle for the Indiana Dunes's symptomatic of a conflict which exists on the fringes of many metropolitan areas: the need for open space, recreational areas, and scene-preservation, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, the demands for industrial location and urbanization to meet the demands of an increasing population for living space and for basic goods produced by large-scale industry serving metropolitan and regional markets. Both industrial development and preservation of open space are vital to the expending metropolitan population whose available land is constantly and rapidly diminishing extent, particularly land with such special characteristics as in the case of the Dunes. There are many conflicts within the Chicago-northwestern Indiana metropolitan complex which are equally urgent and equally difficult. Virtually every other large urban area has similar conflicts, which will become more numerous and more intense as urbanization spreads. It is becoming increasingly clear that the complexity of these issues is producing a condition in which political pressures do not constitute the effective mechanism needed to achieve the optimal solution, Objective consideration of regional problems by qualified practitioners, including planners, engineers, geographers, and other social scientists, working through local, regional, and state planning agencies, is not incompatible with democracy, when these professionals work together and give proper consideration, prior to theft recommendations to the legislative bodies, to the diverse interests of the whole public in the process of finding the best among the alternative solutions to these problems. Consideration of the complex of interrelations among all the elements affecting land use on the fringes of urban areas has become an urgent problem of national and, in some cases, of international importance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]