===== A message from the 'smartgrowth' discussion list =====
>
>FYI, this newsletter from the Biodiversity Project, an effort by
>environmentally active non-profits to identify the social aspects of
>natural resource issues. This newsletter focuses on Urban Sprawl.
>BIODIVERSITY NOTES A newsletter from The Biodiversity Project
>Spring/Summer 1997
>214 North Henry Street, Suite 203; Madison, WI 53703; (608) 250-9876
>Project Director: Jane Elder; Project Associate:Cindy Coffin; Project
>Assistant: Marian Farrior
>From: Marian Farrior <mfarrior@igc.org> Date: 7/22/97 5:07 PM
>
>FOCUS ON SPRAWL AND BIODIVERSITY
>Making the Connection
>To ensure the survival of plant and animal species, we must protect their
>natural habitat. To protect natural habitat, we must protect natural
>landscapes. Further, conservation biologists tell us that these natural
>landscapes require large "core areas" and connecting corridors to sustain
>wide-ranging and migratory species. But increasingly, human
>settlements are nibbling at the edges of what was once productive habitat.
>Roads are carving up the core areas and cutting off the natural corridors.
>In some cases, new development simply swallows up the natural landscape,
>and malls and houses stand where there were once fields and forests. Poorly
>controlled development -- sprawl -- is a primary cause of habitat loss in
>United States.
> The Biodiversity Project's Water Quality/Aquatic Habitat Working Group
>and our Endangered Species Working Group both identified sprawl and
>development as a top concern. Over the long haul, we cannot protect species
>and critical habitat like wetlands without grappling with land use
>decisions, and one of the driving forces in land use is the explosion of
>suburbs, new highways and even second homes in former rural or wild areas.
>From song birds to soil microbes, the encroachment of the developed
>landscape on open space is a death knell to species diversity.
> Thus, a better understanding of public attitudes about development and
>land use decisions is key to developing long-term communication and
>education strategies for biodiversity conservation. A public that
>appreciates biodiversity, but doesn't understand the root causes of species
>and habitat loss is only half-way along the pathway to awareness.
> To address this gap in understanding, the Project is about to launch a
>new series of focus groups to probe public attitudes on sprawl. We know
>from other research that the public is concerned about loss of places in
>nature, and we also know that they are concerned about the rate of
>development and the spread of the urban landscape. Do they make the
>connection? We hope to find out. When the analysis is complete
>(anticipated early in the fall), we will convene a working group to develop
>recommendations for education and outreach strategies. Please let us know
>if you would like to be kept up-to-date on the focus groups or would like a
>copy of the findings.
>The Agenda
> While sprawl issues are often seen as huge and difficult to articulate,
> panelists at a May briefing on sprawl (for the Environmental Grantmakers
>Association and the Consultative Group on Biological Diversity) were able
>to hone a remarkably succinct agenda. They began with the urban vision of
>the future, which will include: urban growth boundaries; repaired existing
>infrastructures; de-concentrated poverty and plenty of affordable housing;
>coordinated land use/transportation planning; a variety of transportation
>options; increased density; well designed mixed-use development; tax and
>regulatory structures that favor beneficial development; preserved
>agricultural lands and biologically rich open spaces with conservation
>easements. To get there, the public will need to: embrace regional
>perspectives and solutions, reinforcing the coherence of natural systems
>and communities; broaden the spectrum of how they define communities;
>acknowledge and discuss race and equity issues; embrace a land ethic and
>reframe their understanding of the property rights issue.
> The Project's role in moving this agenda forward will be to identify
>opportunities for relating human communities to natural communities, and to
>develop appreciation for the "biologically rich open spaces" that enhance
>all of our lives. We continue to try to track down public opinion research
>on sprawl and related issues. If you know of any relevant focus groups or
>polls, please let us know or send a copy our way. Thanks!
>Sprawl Project
>On May 2, the Project convened 18 sprawl and land use leaders from around
>the country, to pinpoint needs for public education in the area of sprawl,
>habitat loss and related topics. The ideas circulated during our three-hour
>discussion will be used to develop questions for a series of focus groups
>that will test key language and messages for talking about sprawl and
>related issues with the general public. Over the long term, the findings
>from this experts session and the focus groups will be used to develop
>recommendations for a coordinated national, regional and local
>communication strategy on sprawl and biodiversity (see first story).
>The Biodiversity Project
214 North Henry Street, Suite 203 Madison, WI 53703 (608) 250-9876