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One of the hot-button issues of the mid-1990s is the balance between private property rights and public land-use regulation. There is no question that federal, state, and local governments have […]

States that the relationship between the two Germanies and the two Berlins provides an example of coexistence for the United States and the USSR. Describes this relationship as being based upon functional interdependency; both sides rely to some extent upon each other and are therefore unlikely to disrupt the balance. (GEA)

By Timothy Beatley, David J. Brower, and Anna K. Schwab. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1994. This compact paperbound volume marks the coming of age of the field of coastal zone [...]

The success of Syracuse, NY's urban development has been attributed to local government's effort to promote public-private partnership in city planning. Although urban development is a necessary requisite of an economically-stable city, planers must always keep in mind that not all former industrial areas are appropriate locations for large facilities such as international airports or convention centers. The government must consult geographers before they proceed with their construction plans.

Quite fittingly, the American Association of Geographers (AAG) session, including Gilbert's panel of friends, was held in Washington, D.C., the city where Gilbert started his professional career in 1934 on flood hazards in the Mississippi Valley. The obituary that Charles Colby and Gilbert wrote for Barrows makes explicit the pragmatic, intellectual, and discursive lessons Gilbert took from Barrow's environmental policy studies.[35] As the editors of I Environment i noted in a tribute to Gilbert when he stepped down as executive editor, "Above all, Gilbert's view of the environment has been unapologetically humanistic."[58] See Ian Burton and Robert W. Kates, "Gilbert F. White, 1911-2006", I Annals of the Association of American Geographers (AAG) i 98, no. 2 (2008): 479-486 (http://www.aag.org/cs/membership/tributes%5fmemorials/sz/white%5fgilbert%5ff); Robert W. Kates, "Gilbert F. White: 1911-2006, A Biographical Memoir" (Washington, DC: National Academy of Sciences, 2011), http://www.nasonline.org/publications/biographical-memoirs/memoir-pdfs/white-gilbert.pdf. 31 James K. Mitchell, "Perspectives on Alternatives: Differentiation and Integration in Pursuit of a Better Fit Between Society and Nature", Mini-Forum on the Contributions of Gilbert F. White", I Progress in Human Geography i 32, no. 3 (2008): 451-45; James L. Wescoat, "Gilbert Fowler White (1911-2006), Wisdom in Environmental Geography", I Geographical Review i 96, no. 4 (2006): 700-710. [Extracted from the article]

We are increasingly aware of the role of emotions and emotional construction in social relationships. However, despite their significance, there are few constructs or theoretical approaches to the evolution of emotions that can be related to the prehistoric archaeological record. Whilst we frequently discuss how archaic humans might have thought, how they felt might seem to be beyond the realm of academic inquiry. In this paper we aim to open up the debate into the construction of emotion in early prehistory by proposing key stages in the emotional motivation to help others; the feeling of compassion, in human evolution. We review existing literature on compassion and highlight what appear to be particularly significant thresholds in the development of compassion for human social relationships and the evolution of the human mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the transformation of New York City's (NYC) waterfront. According the author, NYC, which consists of 10 million inhabitants, is not the largest megacity, but the people have learned the art of coping with its size. A brief history of NYC, beginning with its establishment as a post-colonial port in 1800 and ending in the present-day is presented. Topics include an overview of NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg's project PlaNYC, which seeks to make NYC greener, healthier, and safer. An in-depth analysis of the gradual transformations toward becoming a humane megacity, such as the upgrade of degraded waterfront property, the creation of a Hudson River greenway, and improvements to Central Park is presented.

Provides information on the growth of metropolitan areas in the U.S. in the 21st century. Total number of metropolitan areas designated by the Bureau of the Census from 1950 to 2000; Ecological impact of the growth urban areas in the country; Distribution of population in the country; Regulation imposed by the government on land use, redevelopment, and relocation; Adjustment on planning and zoning for public-private balance; Development of urban open space. INSETS: THE LAND USE AND SOCIETY MODEL;THE CHICAGO WILDERNESS: A MODEL REGIONAL ALLIANCE.

The 320-mile oceanfront shoreline of North Carolina, one of the nation's premier vacation destinations, is frequently struck by landfalling hurricanes and extratropical winter storms. In 1996, Hurricane Fran, two months after Hurricane Bertha, inflicted an estimated $7 billion in public and private damage, including 40,000 homes destroyed, 115,000 buildings damaged, and 25 lives lost. Post-storm rebuilding of the North Carolina coastal zone is governed by a complex array of federal, state, and local laws, of which the keystone is the state Coastal Area Management Act (CAMA). This act, as augmented by the National Flood Insurance Program and the federal Coastal Barrier Resources Act, seeks to reduce vulnerability to future coastal hazards through postdisaster adjustments in the horizontal and vertical placement of structures, among other measures. This article reviews experience in rebuilding the North Carolina oceanfront after the 1996 hurricanes to discern the influence, if any, of these laws. The research is based on review of postdisaster assessments, interviews with key personnel, news media reports, and direct observation. We found widespread compliance with vertical elevation and building codes but rather uneven application of minimum setbacks under CAMA, especially where vegetation was removed. Oceanfront structures are being built more strongly to resist wave and wind forces but are vulnerable to ongoing erosion, resulting in beach and dune scour, and possible stranding of structures below the mean high water line. Experience with temporary replacement of dunes and the shore road at North Topsail Beach indicates that political pressure may overwhelm the intent of Congress to limit repetitive loss costs for infrastructure, especially in areas designated under the Coastal Barrier Resources Act. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents public policies concerning United States coastal wetlands as of November 1987. History of wetlands protection and outlook towards advanced planning; Protection in Grays Harbor, Washington; Protection in Sears Island, Maine; Discussion of the Section 404 program. INSET: THE FEDERAL ACTORS IN WETLAND MANAGEMENT.

Reports on the Long Range Water Supply Study for Metropolitan Boston, Massachusetts. Promoting sustainability in water supply management through a suite of conservation strategies; State policies for demand management; Establishment of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority; Use of higher fees and water-saving technologies; Deferral of new diversions; Protection of water supply from contamination.

The need to protect high quality agricultural land through public policies and programs at various levels of government has been debated in the U.S. for at least three decades. This article reviews the evolution of the debate before 1979, the ill-fated attempt of the National Agricultural Lands Study (NALS) (1979-1981) to resolve the debate, and the current status of the land conversion issue. Articulation of the issue has been impeded by confusion of objectives, semantic problems, unreliability of land conversion data, and excess capacity in the American farm economy. Land conversion estimates published in 1977 by the Soil Conservation Service and relied upon by NALS have proven to be misleading in light of the 1982 National Resources Inventory. State and local programs to discourage farmland conversion are Justifiable in terms of land use planning objectives, maintenance of a viable local farm economy, and avoidance of undue reliance upon marginal lands requiring costly technical inputs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study which states that the Sears Island, Maine saga demonstrates that legal process uninformed by geographic context is ineffectual, if not counterproductive to the resolution of natural resource conflicts. Influence of law in shaping human use of land and water; Uneasy interaction of geography and law in the process of environmental impact assessment under the National Environmental Policy Act.