The Planner's Guide to Natural Resource Conservation: The Science of
Much of the country’s recent population growth is situated beyond the metropolitan fringe, where development consumes millions of acres of privately owned land. Exurbanization has become the dominant pattern of land development in America and there is no
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The Planner’s Guide to Natural Resource Conservation
The Science of Land Development Beyond the Metropolitan Fringe
The Planner’s Guide to Natural Resource Conservation
Adrian X. Esparza · Guy McPherson Editors
The Planner’s Guide to Natural Resource Conservation The Science of Land Development Beyond the Metropolitan Fringe
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Editors Adrian X. Esparza School of Natural Resources University of Arizona Tucson AZ 85721 USA [email protected]
Guy McPherson School of Natural Resources University of Arizona Tucson AZ 85721 USA [email protected]
ISBN 978-0-387-98166-6 e-ISBN 978-0-387-98167-3 DOI 10.1007/978-0-387-98167-3 Springer Dordrecht Heidelberg London New York Library of Congress Control Number: 2009922085 © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2009 All rights reserved. This work may not be translated or copied in whole or in part without the written permission of the publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is forbidden. The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identified as such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights. Printed on acid-free paper Springer is part of Springer Science+Business Media (www.springer.com)
With all appreciation to Sheila, Lucie, Tristan, and Flora.
Preface
Venture outward from the city, beyond the roar of automobiles and the rows of manicured suburban lawns, and you will find exurbia. It is a collage of housing types and residential densities (typically 1–40 acre parcels) located in what we once called the rural countryside. More than anything, exurbanization embodies the nation’s affinity for open space and diverse natural amenities. Homes nestled in Arizona’s Sonoran desert are as desirable as condominiums (seasonal homes) perched in the remote mountains of Idaho and Maine, or hobby farms and horse properties in Iowa, Texas, or Florida. The allure of nature largely explains the popularity of exurban living. About 37% of the country’s population now lives in exurbia, and estimates indicate that a growing number of Americans will follow suit in the years ahead (Glennon and Kretser 2005; Theobald 2005). It is widely understood that land development disrupts environmental systems. On the one hand, planners, landscape architects, and civil engineers work tirelessly to mitigate these impacts in urban areas. On the other hand, foresters, wildlife biologists, and range managers attempt to thwart the impact of developments that abut forest, park, and preserve boundaries. But exurban land is the “middle ground” that lies between cities and federal and state lands held in the public trust (Knight 2002). As such, exurbia is a unique
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