Differentiated Countryside (Routledge Studies in Human Geography, 3)
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    Differentiated Countryside (Routledge Studies in Human Geography, 3)
    Philip Lowe
    Manufacturer: Routledge
    ProductGroup: Book
    Binding: Hardcover

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    ASIN: 1857288955

    Book Description

    Using an innovative theoretical approach based on networks of conventions, the book investigates the regionalization of the English countryside through case studies of the preserved, the contested and the paternalistic countryside. It looks in detail at landowners, residents, politicians, planners, farmers, and environmentalists, and shows how the competing interests of these groups shape the countryside.

    Growing Greener: Putting Conservation Into Local Plans And Ordinances
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      Growing Greener: Putting Conservation Into Local Plans And Ordinances
      Randall G. Arendt
      Manufacturer: Island Press
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

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      Similar Items:
      1. Conservation Design for Subdivisions: A Practical Guide To Creating Open Space Networks Conservation Design for Subdivisions: A Practical Guide To Creating Open Space Networks
      2. The Regional City The Regional City
      3. A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure Series) A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Center for Environmental Structure Series)
      4. Rural by Design: Maintaining Small Town Character Rural by Design: Maintaining Small Town Character
      5. Practical Ecology for Planners, Developers, and Citizens Practical Ecology for Planners, Developers, and Citizens

      ASIN: 1559637420

      Book Description

      Growing Greener is an illustrated workbook that presents a new look at designing subdivisions while preserving green space and creating open space networks. Randall Arendt explains how to design residential developments that maximize land conservation without reducing overall building density, thus avoiding the political and legal problems often associated with "down-zoning."

      The author offers a three-pronged strategy for shaping growth around a community's special natural and cultural features, demonstrating ways of establishing or modifying the municipal comprehensive plan, zoning ordinance, and subdivision ordinance to include a strong conservation focus. Open space protection becomes the central organizing principle for new residential development, and the open space that is protected is laid out to form an interconnected system of protected lands running across a community.

      The book offers:

      In addition, Growing Greener includes eleven case studies of actual conservation developments in nine states, and two exercises suitable for group participation. Case studies include: Ringfield, Chadds Ford Township, Pennsylvania; The Fields of St. Croix, City of Lake Elmo, Minnesota; Prairie Crossing, Grayslake, Illinois; The Meadows at Dolly Gordon Brook, York, Maine; Farmcolony, Standsville, Virginia; The Ranch at Roaring Fork, Carbondale, Colorado; and others.

      Growing Greener builds upon and expands the basic ideas presented in Arendt's earlier work Conservation Design for Subdivisions, broadening the scope to include more detailed sections on the comprehensive planning process and information on how zoning ordinances can be updated to incorporate the concept of conservation design. It is the first practical publication to explain in detail how resource-conserving development techniques can be put into practice by municipal officials, residential developers, and site designers, and it offers a simple and straightforward approach to balancing opportunities for developers and conservationists.
      Better Not Bigger: How to Take Control of Urban Growth and Improve Your Community
      Average customer rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars
      • Wonderfully Insightful
      • An Excellent Debunking of the Pro-Growth Myths
      • Free Book, Anyone?
      • Right on Target!
      • Right on Target
      Better Not Bigger: How to Take Control of Urban Growth and Improve Your Community
      Eben V. Fodor
      Manufacturer: New Society Publishers
      ProductGroup: Book
      Binding: Paperback

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      1. There Goes the Neighborhood, Protecting Your Home and Community From Poor Development Choices There Goes the Neighborhood, Protecting Your Home and Community From Poor Development Choices
      2. Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape Geography of Nowhere: The Rise and Decline of America's Man-Made Landscape
      3. Toward Sustainable Communities: Resources For Citizens And Their Governments Toward Sustainable Communities: Resources For Citizens And Their Governments
      4. Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America and How We Can Take It Back Asphalt Nation: How the Automobile Took Over America and How We Can Take It Back
      5. The  Key to Sustainable Cities: Meeting Human Needs, Transforming Community Systems The Key to Sustainable Cities: Meeting Human Needs, Transforming Community Systems

      ASIN: 0865713863

      Book Description

      Contrary to accepted wisdom, rapid urban growth can leave communities permanently scarred, deeply in debt, with unaffordable housing, a lost sense of community, and sacrificed environmental quality.

      In Better NOT Bigger, Fodor explodes the fundamental myth that growth is good for us and that more development will bring in more tax money, add jobs, lower housing costs, and reduce property taxes. Lively and well-illustrated, Better NOT Bigger provides insights, ideas, and tools to empower citizens to switch off their local "growth machine" by debunking the pro-growth rhetoric. Highly accessible to ordinary citizens as well as professional planners.

      Customer Reviews:

      5 out of 5 stars Wonderfully Insightful.......2006-06-14

      Mr. Fodor has done an excellent job of exposing the ins and outs of urban planning and growth. His sources are prolific and complete with a well balanced presentation of the challenges of growth and development to any community. For me, this book was a "suspicions confirmed" expose' of why it becomes so much more expensive to live in a city. This book is an excellent read with many interesting case studies, charts, analyses, and graphics and I have reviewed it and quoted it often as I have prepared to address our local planning commission and city council. Most of my urban planning and growth questions were addressed in this book.

      5 out of 5 stars An Excellent Debunking of the Pro-Growth Myths.......2006-03-25

      The public has come to accept growth as natural, or at least inevitable, as a result of unbalanced coverage in the media. Pro-growth forces, such as the building and real estate industries, are a significant source of advertising revenue, so there is little motivation to present alternative views. Fordor, in his book, presents carefully documented rebuttals to most of the common pro-growth arguments, making this an excellent book for readers who are concerned about environmental and municipal planning issues.

      5 out of 5 stars Free Book, Anyone?.......2002-02-27

      A major underlying assumption in our society today is that growth is good. We need growth! Growth is good for business, good for the community, good for you and me.

      Except, of course, that it doesn't work that way.

      Who sez?

      Eben Fodor, that's who. Fodor is a professional community planning consultant from Eugene, Oregon. He has written a book that defies the conventional wisdom, and backs it up with solid evidence. Its title is "Better Not Bigger: How to Take Control of Urban Growth and Improve Your Community" (New Society Publishers, 1999).

      Chapter 3 is called "The 12 Big Myths of Growth". Most of these myths are so deeply entrenched that people never even question them. However, Fodor refers to authoritative studies showing that just the opposite is true in each case. ... I will buy a copy of this book for any Asheville area politician or business leader who asks me. If you would like to see your representative get a copy, please call him or her and tell them to get their order in! ...

      5 out of 5 stars Right on Target!.......2000-07-20

      This book was terrific! I had bought this book to help enhance my understanding of a controversial $1 billion plus expansion project in my community. Eben Fodor's comments and insights were 100% right on target. This book was like a blueprint as to how this mega deal is being forced down the throats of the citizens of my community. From the elistist few of the "urban growth machine" that would benefit from this project, to the creation of a false sense of urgency to push through our city council for a 30 year tax break for the developer, to the p.r. blitz offering up false either/or choices...everything discussed in "Better not Bigger" is happening in my hometown. This is absolutely "must reading" for anyone who wants to understand how the "urban growth machine" can ruin community. What Eben Fodor teaches is that smart growth is better then stupid growth. If you care about the community you call "home".....read this book!

      5 out of 5 stars Right on Target.......2000-07-18

      This book was terrific! I bought this book to help enhance my understanding of a controversial over $1 billion mall expansion project in my community. Fodor's comments and insight were 100% right on target. From the elitist few who would benefit from it pushing this mega deal, to creation of a false sense of urgency to rush through a 30 year tax break to the developers, to offering up false either/or choices......this book was like a blueprint to how this project is being forced on the taxpayers. I found it extremely insightful and enlightening and would recommend it as absolute "must reading" for anyone who wishes to understand the urban growth machine and it can ruin a community. The bottom line is that smarter growth is better then stupid growth, and that is what Eben Fodor teaches those of us who truly care about our community.
      Land-Use and Land-Cover Change: Local Processes and Global Impacts (Global Change - The IGBP Series)
      Average customer rating: Not rated
        Land-Use and Land-Cover Change: Local Processes and Global Impacts (Global Change - The IGBP Series)

        Manufacturer: Springer
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

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        Similar Items:
        1. Global Warming: The Complete Briefing Global Warming: The Complete Briefing
        2. Environmental Land Use Planning and Management Environmental Land Use Planning and Management

        Accessories:
        1. Stability of Tropical Rainforest Margins: Linking Ecological, Economic and Social Constraints of Land Use and Conservation (Environmental Science and Engineering / Environmental Science) Stability of Tropical Rainforest Margins: Linking Ecological, Economic and Social Constraints of Land Use and Conservation (Environmental Science and Engineering / Environmental Science)
        2. Lochnagar: The Natural History of a Mountain Lake (Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research) Lochnagar: The Natural History of a Mountain Lake (Developments in Paleoenvironmental Research)

        ASIN: 3540322019

        Book Description

        The book presents recent estimates of the rates in changes of major land classes such as forest, cropland and pasture. Among the causative mechanisms behind land change, synergetic factor combinations are found to be more common than single key factor explanations. Aggregated globally, multiple impacts of local land changes are shown to significantly affect central aspects of Earth System functioning. Innovative developments and applications in the fields of modeling and scenario construction are presented. Finally, conclusions are drawn about the most pressing implications for the design of appropriate intervention policies, and on new directions and frontiers of research.
        The edited book synthesizes research achievements by dozens of scientists related to the Land-Use/Cover Change (LUCC) project of the International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP) and the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP). It summarizes relevant findings on global land-use change which arose from value-adding activities of the LUCC project, starting in 1995 and extending until its termination in October 2005. The main intention is to describe how human modification of land cover became a major driving force of Earth System changes over the past 300 years, a period of most rapid transformations, with fundamental implications for current landscape configurations. In writing this book, current knowledge and understanding is reported on the rates, causes/pathways, impacts, future scenarios/models, policy implications and new research directions in the field of land-use/cover change.

        Brownfields: Redeveloping Environmentally Distressed Properties
        Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
        • Revitalizing underutilized industrial sites---how it's done
        Brownfields: Redeveloping Environmentally Distressed Properties
        Harold J. Rafson , and Robert N. Rafson
        Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill Professional
        ProductGroup: Book
        Binding: Hardcover

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        Similar Items:
        1. Redeveloping Brownfields: Landscape Architects, Site Planners, Developers Redeveloping Brownfields: Landscape Architects, Site Planners, Developers
        2. Manufactured Sites: Re-Thinking The Post-Industrial Landscape Manufactured Sites: Re-Thinking The Post-Industrial Landscape

        ASIN: 0070527687

        Book Description

        The most practical, up-to-date guide for turning Brownfields into Greenfields

        This ready-to-use, how-to manual--edited by active developers who have bought, remediated, and sold brownfields--gives you a commanding look at one of today's leading environmental issues. Filled with the latest hands-on tools, Harold and Robert Rafson's step-by-step book simplifies the task of removing the barriers to redevelopment that plague environmentally distressed properties.

        Brownfields goes beyond the legal and technical issues that preoccupy other current books, to focus on all the critical aspects of putting together a successful brownfields project--mortgages, marketing, and more. Complete with case studies drawn from the authors' own experience, this guide is required reading not just for owners or developers, but for every stakeholder--from environmental regulators, to bankers, realtors and prospective buyers.

        Customer Reviews:

        5 out of 5 stars Revitalizing underutilized industrial sites---how it's done.......1999-10-29

        The authors clearly present the factors that, on one hand, allow industrial and commercial property eyesores to exist, and on the other hand, those factors that can redevelop them into valuable modern real estate. The NST/Engineers, Inc. reviewers have participated in brownfields remediation designs and in the development of estimated costs for remediation, sometimes extending decades into the future. Brownfields are, according to an EPA definition, "...abandoned, idled, or underused industrial and commercial sites where expansion or redevelopment is complicated by real or perceived environmental contamination that can add cost, time and uncertainty to a redevelopment project."

        A few decades ago industrialists eyeing real estate for acquisition would be concerned about the use they could foresee, the asking price, zoning potential, the neighborhood, and a few other particulars. Rarely were they deeply concerned about what had gone on at the property in past years. Now, one of the first things a prospective buyer wants to know is "what might have gone on here in past years that has resulted in contamination of structures, the grounds, subsurface, or any water bodies." Property owners have similar concerns, but they have more information. So that both buyers and sellers wonder what magnitude of environmental remediation costs would be required for various redevelopment projects. The authors take the reader through the major considerations of both buyer and seller. They treat both the private and municipal redeveloper.

        Their case studies, though largely drawn from their Chicago experiences, emphasize the careful planning and execution steps required in redevelopment anywhere. Based on data from less than 200 sites, the cost of brownfields redevelopment has been estimated to be just under $60,000 per acre. Cleanup of contamination, where it occurs, has been estimated at 8% of the total cost of redevelopment. The authors make an excellent point that much more cooperation is needed between interested parties to expand brownfields redevelopment. Venture groups are needed consisting of environmental scientists and engineers, capital providers, insurance specialists, real estate experts, and an experience project management team. Not to be forgotten is "due diligence". For a brownfields purchaser this means an in-depth analysis of the physical, economic, and legal conditions of any property in question. The authors describe how this analysis must have much more depth to it than the due diligence involved with purchase of an uncompromised industrial property. Federal, state, and local environmental officials, and governmental officials must appreciate the importance of rejuvenating unused brownfields as opposed to converting more fertile farms to industrial properties. And finally those officials must have the will to find ways to make a remediation happen. Individuals in all of the above occupations are well-advised to read this book.

        As a model of an up-to-date state initiative to hasten brownfields remediation, the authors provide the details of the Illinois Pollution Control Board's Tiered Approach to Corrective Action Objectives ("TACO").
        Land Conservation Financing
        Average customer rating: Not rated
          Land Conservation Financing
          Mike McQueen , and Edward T. McMahon
          Manufacturer: Island Press
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

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          1. Protecting the Land: Conservation Easements Past, Present, and Future Protecting the Land: Conservation Easements Past, Present, and Future
          2. Conservancy: The Land Trust Movement in America Conservancy: The Land Trust Movement in America
          3. Conservation Trusts Conservation Trusts
          4. Conservation Finance Handbook Conservation Finance Handbook
          5. Saving the Ranch: Conservation Easement Design In The American West Saving the Ranch: Conservation Easement Design In The American West

          ASIN: 1559634812

          Book Description

          Written by two of the nation's leading experts on land conservation, Land Conservation Financing provides a comprehensive overview of successful land conservation programs -- how they were created, how they are funded, and what they've accomplished -- along with detailed case studies from across the United States.

          The authors present important new information on state-of-the-art conservation financing, showcasing programs in states that have become the nation's leaders in open-space protection: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, and New Jersey. They look at key local land protection efforts by examining model programs in DeKalb County, Georgia; Douglas County, Colorado; Jacksonville, Florida; Lake County, Illinois; Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; Marin County, California; the St. Louis metro area in Missouri and Illinois, and on Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

          The authors then examine how hundreds of communities have created hundreds of millions of dollars in funding by developing successful campaigns to win land conservation ballot measures. They offer case studies and pull together lessons learned as they lay out how to run a successful campaign. The authors also consider the role of private foundations, which have made immense contributions to land conservation over the past two decades.

          The book concludes with an examination of the emerging concept of green infrastructure -- a strategic approach to conservation that involves planning and managing a network of parks, natural areas, greenways, and working lands that can help support native species, maintain ecological processes, and contribute to the health and quality of life for America's people and its communities.

          Land Conservation Financing is an indispensable resource for land conservationists in the public and private sectors who are looking for a detailed, national portrait of the state of land conservation in America today.
          Balancing Nature and Commerce in Gateway Communities
          Average customer rating: 4 out of 5 stars
          • Case studies of overdevelopment, with some wishful thinking about community involvement
          • A feel-good land use/planning guide
          • Balancing economics and the environment
          • An excellent resource
          Balancing Nature and Commerce in Gateway Communities
          Jim Howe , Edward T. McMahon , and Luther Propst
          Manufacturer: Island Press
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

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          1. The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization The Lexus and the Olive Tree: Understanding Globalization
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          3. Project Manager's Spotlight on Risk Management (Project Managers Spotlight) Project Manager's Spotlight on Risk Management (Project Managers Spotlight)
          4. Downhill Slide: Why the Corporate Ski Industry Is Bad for Skiing, Ski Towns, and the Environment Downhill Slide: Why the Corporate Ski Industry Is Bad for Skiing, Ski Towns, and the Environment
          5. Event Entertainment and Production (Wiley Event Management Series) Event Entertainment and Production (Wiley Event Management Series)

          ASIN: 1559635452

          Book Description

          Increasing numbers of Americans are fleeing cities and suburbs for the small towns and open spaces that surround national and state parks, wildlife refuges, historic sites, and other public lands. With their scenic beauty and high quality of life, these "gateway communities" have become a magnet for those looking to escape the congestion and fast tempo of contemporary American society.

          Yet without savvy planning, gateway communities could easily meet the same fate as the suburban communities that were the promised land of an earlier generation. This volume can help prevent that from happening.

          The authors offer practical and proven lessons on how residents of gateway communities can protect their community's identity while stimulating a healthy economy and safeguarding nearby natural and historic resources. They describe economic development strategies, land-use planning processes, and conservation tools that communities from all over the country have found effective. Each strategy or process is explained with specific examples, and numerous profiles and case studies clearly demonstrate how different communities have coped with the challenges of growth and development. Among the cities profiled are Boulder, Colorado; Townsend and Pittman Center Tennessee; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Tyrrell County, North Carolina; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Sanibel Island, Florida; Calvert County, Maryland; Tuscon, Arizona; and Mount Desert Island, Maine.

          Balancing Nature and Commerce in Gateway Communities provides important lessons in how to preserve the character and integrity of communities and landscapes without sacrificing local economic well-being. It is an important resource for planners, developers, local officials, and concerned citizens working to retain the high quality of life and natural beauty of these cities and towns.

          Customer Reviews:

          3 out of 5 stars Case studies of overdevelopment, with some wishful thinking about community involvement.......2006-06-12

          As the title suggests, this book addresses the challenges of gateway communities, defined as communities next to a national park, national forest, or national wildlife refuge. These communities are growing very rapidly, which risks damaging the natural resources that attract people there in the first place. The book emphasizes the problems that these communities face, and does not really address the effects on the resources (despite what the title might imply).

          The analysis presents pretty standard stuff. They discuss economic growth and the trade-offs with quality of life, as well as the economic problems of a one-dimensional economy built on tourism. More than half the book consists of case studies from around the country. These case studies yield lessons about the importance of involving the local community, developing a vision for the community, getting information about the community's existing resources, building on local assets, and working with the adjacent parks as well as with non-governmental organizations. Conspicuous in their absence are the possibilities of working with business, state government, or adjacent communities.

          I'm pretty skeptical of the kinds of solutions offered in this book. For example, the authors believe that community involvement in development is a panacea. I'm sure that it *can* help - - but such proposals can also create a situation in which outsiders (such as our authors) parachute into a community and act as if they know better than the locals. Remember, the growth wouldn't be happening in the first place unless many people in the community wanted it. An outsider trying to encourage community involvement in managing growth will probably have allies, but will also spark opposition from the people making money from growth.

          Getting people involved can also surprise you. An urban planner friend of mine working with a depressed town was surprised when the local community wanted strip malls and fast food joints, which was not at all what she had in mind. From the standpoint of protecting natural resources, the community may well be part of the problem.

          One might also quibble with the cases. For example, I was surprised to see Boulder presented as a success story, since I would view it as a failure. It's depressingly overdeveloped, looks like Anytown California, and its "successful" restrictions on further growth have simply caused that growth to spill over into its neighbors. This spillover makes existing traffic problems worse, as people drive from place to place.

          In fact, the authors prefer to ignore the fact that limiting growth in one community often leads to the same undesirable growth happening next door instead. That may be good for the original community, but it's hardly good policy for a region or state.

          Criticisms aside, the book has quite a bit of information about the challenges faced by the communities that they studied. It doesn't have so much information about the challenges in the nation as a whole; this is a book of case studies. It's a decent place to start when thinking about these problems.

          4 out of 5 stars A feel-good land use/planning guide.......1999-05-13

          - A feel-good land use/planning guide produced by the Conservation Fund and the Sonoran Institute. Examples show how communities can work together to protect parks and environmental refuges..

          5 out of 5 stars Balancing economics and the environment.......1999-03-27

          National parks and other public lands are big, fragile, economic engines for nearby gateway communities. In this book, communities and near-by public lands sometimes play nice together. The authors conclude: " . . . successful communities have transcended the 'growth versus no-growth' wars that characterize land-use policy in many cities and towns."

          5 out of 5 stars An excellent resource.......1998-07-10

          Balancing Nature and Commerce in Gateway Communities is a must read for anyone who still believes that environmentalism and economic development are fundamentally opposed propositions. This book of case studies and analysis describes several successful ways in which communities created new jobs and economic opportunities while celebrating and protecting, rather than exploiting, their area's natural resources.
          Planning in the USA: Policies, Issues and Processes
          Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
          • Very useful
          • Absolutely excellent.
          Planning in the USA: Policies, Issues and Processes
          J Cullingworth
          Manufacturer: Routledge
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

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          Similar Items:
          1. Cities for a Small Planet (An Icon Edition) Cities for a Small Planet (An Icon Edition)
          2. Community Planning: An Introduction To The Comprehensive Plan Community Planning: An Introduction To The Comprehensive Plan
          3. The Ecology of Place: Planning for Environment, Economy, and Community The Ecology of Place: Planning for Environment, Economy, and Community
          4. Contemporary Urban Planning (7th Edition) Contemporary Urban Planning (7th Edition)
          5. Urban Land Use Planning, Fifth Edition Urban Land Use Planning, Fifth Edition

          ASIN: 0415247896

          Book Description

          This extensively revised and updated edition of Planning in the USA continues to provide a comprehensive introduction to the policies, theory and practice of planning. Outlining land use, urban planning and environmental protection policies, this fully illustrated book explains the nature of the planning process and the way in which policy issues are identified, defined and approached.

          Customer Reviews:

          5 out of 5 stars Very useful.......2000-03-25

          I used this book as my primary source in an independent study I did in my Junior year of High School, entitled "Issues in Modern Urban Planning". It was absolutely indispensable. The case studies and the clear, logical, empirical approach to the matter broadened my perspective of the very real issues facing the modern world tremendously. I cheer Mr. Cullingworth for this fantastic tome.

          5 out of 5 stars Absolutely excellent........1999-05-09

          A comprehensive review of the policies and problems of planning in the USA. Also of interest to studies of comparative politics. An excellent read.
          Investing in Nature: Case Studies of Land Conservation in Collaboration with Business
          Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
          • A valuable discussion linking business interests to environmental concerns to show how conservation investment banking can work
          • Use Your Head to Work with Your Heart
          Investing in Nature: Case Studies of Land Conservation in Collaboration with Business
          William Ginn
          Manufacturer: Island Press
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

          GeneralGeneral | Popular Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
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          Similar Items:
          1. From Walden to Wall Street: Frontiers of Conservation Finance From Walden to Wall Street: Frontiers of Conservation Finance
          2. Nature's Keepers: The Remarkable Story Of How the Nature Conservancy Became the Largest Environmental Group in the World Nature's Keepers: The Remarkable Story Of How the Nature Conservancy Became the Largest Environmental Group in the World
          3. The New Economy of Nature: The Quest To Make Conservation Profitable The New Economy of Nature: The Quest To Make Conservation Profitable
          4. A Field Guide to Conservation Finance A Field Guide to Conservation Finance
          5. Buying Nature: The Limits of Land Acquisition as a Conservation Strategy, 1780-2004 (American and Comparative Environmental Policy) Buying Nature: The Limits of Land Acquisition as a Conservation Strategy, 1780-2004 (American and Comparative Environmental Policy)

          ASIN: 1597260134

          Book Description

          In 2004, U.S. consumers spent $5.2 billion purchasing bottled water while the government only invested 5 percent of that amount to purchase critical watersheds, parks, and wildlife refuges-systems vital to clean water and healthy environments. How can we reverse the direction of such powerful economic forces?

          A group of dedicated business-people-turned-environmental-entrepreneurs is pioneering a new set of tools for land conservation deals and other market-based strategies. These pragmatic visionaries have already used these methods to protect millions of acres of land and to transform the practices of entire industries. They are transforming the very nature of conservation by making it profitable.

          Drawing on his vast experience in both business and land conservation at The Nature Conservancy (TNC), William Ginn offers a practical guide to these innovative methods and a road map to the most effective way to implement them. From conservation investment banking, to emerging markets for nature's goods and services, to new tax incentives that encourage companies to do the "right" thing, Ginn goes beyond the theories to present real-world applications and strategies. And, just as importantly, he looks at the lessons learned from what has not worked, including his own failed efforts in Papua New Guinea and TNC's controversial compatible development approach in Virginia. In an era of dwindling public resources and scarce charitable dollars, these tools reveal a new, and perhaps the only, pathway to achieving biodiversity goals and protecting our lands.

          Conservation professionals, students of land conservation, and entrepreneurs interested in green business will find Ginn's tales of high-finance deals involving vast tracts of pristine land both informative and exciting. More than just talk, Investing in Nature will teach you how to think big about land conservation.

          Customer Reviews:

          5 out of 5 stars A valuable discussion linking business interests to environmental concerns to show how conservation investment banking can work.......2006-02-06

          William J. Ginn's Investing In Nature: Case Studies Of Land Conservation In Collaboration With Business is a valuable discussion linking business interests to environmental concerns to show how conservation investment banking can work. Ginn's background in both business and land conservation issues at The Nature Conservancy allows him to reveal collaborative efforts which work for both in this inspirational guide of real-life achievements.

          5 out of 5 stars Use Your Head to Work with Your Heart.......2005-09-14

          This is a book for people who are ready to get very creative! Prepare to learn how to braid industry, energy, and conservation into a plan for America's future. Bill GInn begins the converstation with a great and very practical story about his own inability to grow food on his own farm in Maine because his soil was too acidic. Lookiing for solutions led him to his discovery that the " cheap miracle" he needed was in the waste product the paper mill in his own backyard was spending millions of dollars trucking out of the state. From this beginning, he saw a new life for waste materials, and an industry growing from it. Realizing he could do as much as an " eco-business man" than he could as the head of Maine's prestiges Audubon Society, he launched on an odessy which will inspire and ignite the interest of others looking for a new way to move ahead in our quest for a future for America's Conservation Movement.
          Hooray for Mr. Ginn's documentation and careful focus. I look forward to his future and his next book!
          Once There Were Greenfields: How Urban Sprawl is Undermining America's Environment, Economy, and Social Fabric
          Average customer rating: 5 out of 5 stars
          • American individualism run amok
          • Well-researched book on the pric e of sprawl
          • a brief against suburban sprawl
          • The definitive guide to sprawl and its solutions.
          Once There Were Greenfields: How Urban Sprawl is Undermining America's Environment, Economy, and Social Fabric
          F. Kaid Benfield , Matthew Raimi , and Donald D. T. Chen
          Manufacturer: Nrdc
          ProductGroup: Book
          Binding: Paperback

          GeneralGeneral | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
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          Similar Items:
          1. Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream Suburban Nation: The Rise of Sprawl and the Decline of the American Dream
          2. Solving Sprawl: Models Of Smart Growth In Communities Across America Solving Sprawl: Models Of Smart Growth In Communities Across America
          3. Sprawl: A Compact History Sprawl: A Compact History

          ASIN: 1893340171

          Book Description

          Once There Were Greenfields describes the environmental, economic, and social impacts of sprawl development. It also proposes guiding principles for a new kind of "smart growth."

          Customer Reviews:

          5 out of 5 stars American individualism run amok.......2002-09-01

          "Once There Were Greenfields" is the product of a small team of researchers working for The National Resouces Defense Council (NRDC) and the Surface Transportation Policy Project. The result is a well-researched, balanced and highly readable review of suburban sprawl and its effects on the community, economy and environment. It also suggests ways we might mitigate sprawl by opting for policies that encourage "smart growth", i.e. development that takes a holistic view of the community and its role within the larger society in which we all live.

          With thorough documentation, charts and illustrations to support the author's work, one can easily imagine the book serving well as an introductory college textbook on the subject. It should also be welcomed by community activists and concerned citizens alike who may want to prepare themselves for intelligent discussion and engagement when faced with the problem of sprawl in their own local communities.

          The authors discuss the numerous reasons why sprawl has become such a big problem in our country. Of course the closely related and interconnected topics of the American love affair with the automobile, the building of the interstate highway system and the dismantling of big city public transportation systems by General Motors are cited as factors that enabled and encouraged the post-WW II mass exodus from most major cities to their surrounding suburban areas. But the authors also point out that uncoordinated local governments generally make it difficult for America to develop comprehensive land use policies, allowing land developers and corporations to run amok and get what they wanted with respect to tax breaks, permits, and so on.

          The end result is that businesses have found it only too easy to relocate to cheaper land outside the core cities (if not to foreign countries), setting in motion a cycle of urban decline that pushes even more people to the suburbs and the inexpensive houses available there.

          The authors don't blame Americans for desiring the relatively clean air, open spaces, and safe schools and neighborhoods that suburbia purports to offer. But as the boundaries push ever outward, the benefits become ever more difficult to attain and a myriad of new problems emerge. For example, commuting costs -- in terms of both time and money -- can wipe out much of the savings on housing. The problem is compounded by the deleterious effects of stress to the psyche that are associated with driving ever longer distances to work. All of this extra driving also contributes enormously to the problems of both global warming and local air pollution. Significantly, local government budgets quickly become depleted trying to keep up with spiraling highway construction and maintenance costs.

          The authors suggest remedies and also allude to success stories in places such as Portland, Oregon, the State of Maryland, and Europe to discuss some of the alternatives that may help contain sprawl. In each case, it seems that revitalizing and creating a truly livable inner city is integral to creating a winning strategy.

          Whether the U.S. can truly reverse sprawl before most of its open spaces are consumed remain an open question, of course. One suspects that regional planners acting in the community's interest will have a tougher time reigining in the rugged, individualistic American than his or her European counterpart. But one has to wonder whether continuing to consume every two years over one million acres of open lands -- much of it valuable and irreplacable farmlands and wetlands -- should rightly be called progress, and what the consequences of this unwritten policy of perpetual destruction might hold for us in the long run.

          In brief, this excellent book contains much for us to think about. It provides guidance and inspiration to those among us who dare to believe that a stronger community, a better environment, and a higher quality of life may indeed be possible without sprawl. Highly recommended.

          5 out of 5 stars Well-researched book on the pric e of sprawl.......2002-05-08

          I strongly recommend this book for anyone with an interest in the effects of sprawl on our society. It is filled with information from a number of significant research studies. The book focuses on statistics, not opinion, to make its arguments against sprawl

          4 out of 5 stars a brief against suburban sprawl.......2000-02-29

          If you want a fairly definitive guide to all the disadvantages of suburban sprawl, read this book. I also recommend it as a source guide, because it cites a lot of sources on both sides of the issue.

          It does have some imperfections: it is very focused on environmental issues, so I wouldn't pretend that it is the definitive guide on other sprawl related problems (e.g. social justice issues), though it does address such issues to some extent. Also, I think it is a bit more biased towards "big government" solutions to sprawl than I would be if I were writing a book on the subject. But by and large, I recommend it.

          5 out of 5 stars The definitive guide to sprawl and its solutions........1999-04-16

          What do road rage, farmland loss, inner-city poverty, and air pollution have in common? They are all part of "sprawl," a thoroughly American phenomenon of poorly-planned scattershot development.

          "Once There Were Greenfields" provides a comprehensive review of sprawl: its causes, its consequences, and most importantly, its solutions. If Benfield's book had been printed 50 years ago, perhaps much of the destruction of America's farms and city centers would have been avoided.

          The book reviews a number of public policies that favor unlimited consumption of land and drive development out of America's cities. Benfield reminds us that while most of the policy decisions that lead to sprawl are made at the state and local level, these decisions are often based on economic incentives created by federal activity. The sad fact is that our current patterns of low-density development are the result of fifty years of government policy decisions, direct government funding, and government-influenced private finance and credit decisions. In most American cities, the mix of these policies and market forces creates a strong economic push toward an ever-expanding suburbia at the expense of our core urban and inner suburban areas.

          The results of sprawl have been disastrous for environmental quality and for the economic well-being of cities. Sprawl is even costly to suburban residents that unknowingly subsidize the process, such as the paving of more than one million acres of farmland per year, through increases in their property taxes and other mechanisms.

          Despite the book's detailed review of policies ranging from taxation and transportation to agriculture and water quality, it remains extremely accessible. Newcomers to the issue that Vice President Gore has termed "Livability" will find "'Greenfields" a thoughtfully balanced primer. Land use professionals will appreciate the professionalism of the research and wealth of useful citations.

          This book is a must-read for policy makers and citizen activists alike that wish to improve their quality of life. If you've been looking for a single source of all the most important -- and most disturbing -- facts about sprawl, Benfield and his associates have produced it.

          Books:

          1. Ecological Imperialism: The Biological Expansion of Europe, 9001900 (Canto)
          2. Energy Efficiency Manual: for everyone who uses energy, pays for utilities, designs and builds, is interested in energy conservation and the environment (Energy Efficiency Manual)
          3. Energy Management Handbook
          4. Environment
          5. Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (7th Edition)
          6. Environmental Policymaking in Congress: The Role of Issue Definitions in Wetlands, Great Lakes and Wildlife Policies (Garland Reference Library of Social Science)
          7. Food Not Lawns: How to Turn Your Yard into a Garden And Your Neighborhood into a Community
          8. Geoenvironmental Engineering: Site Remediation, Waste Containment, and Emerging Waste Management Techonolgies
          9. Global Warming in the 21st Century [Three Volumes] (Praeger Perspectives)
          10. Global Warming - Myth or Reality?: The Erring Ways of Climatology (Springer Praxis Books / Environmental Sciences)

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