Citation:
Handbook for Environmental Planning: The Social Consequences for Environmental Change, James McEvoy III and Thomas Dietz (eds), (New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1977), 316 pp.
Handbook for Environmental Planning: The Social Consequences for Environmental Change is an examination of the social consequences caused by environmental changes. Specifically, the authors address the social impacts in the fields of: law, demography, land use, economics, and transportation.
Handbook for Environmental Planning: The Social Consequences for Environmental Change will be of interest to those who seek an understanding of the social impacts to particular fields of human endeavour caused by environmental change. The work is a collection of the work of multiple authors. The first chapter is an introduction to the identification and measurement of the social consequences of environmental change. It addresses the relationship between social science and the measurement and identification of social variables. The second chapter addresses the content of environmental impact assessment laws. Herein is examined: the necessity of preparing an impact analysis document, the required contents of such documents, who prepares them, and the environmental analysis and project planning process.
Chapter 3, examines impact identification and the qualitative approach to assessment. Specifically, the author considers: the predevelopment period, the no project option, and impact identification. The author also examines: possible sources of information, population estimation and projection techniques, and advantages of the component techniques of estimating population change. The chapter closes with an analysis of quantitative approaches to impact assessment. Chapter 4, is devoted to land use issues. TD Berns addresses land use: activity, economics, tenure, controls, and information in the preparation of impact statements. He also considers approaches and methods for the assessment of land use impacts, including: impact measures, project features and impact identification.
Chapter 5, is devoted to economics. In answer to the question, "What are the real costs and benefits of community growth?" the author offers: a cost-revenue analysis which examines allocations of expenditure, and suggestions for better cost-revenue studies. The author also examines economic base studies and input-output analysis. Chapter 6, is devoted to transportation which begins with an overview of the urban transportation planning process. An examination of social impacts analysis methods is followed by case studies of transportation systems in: San Francisco, Washington DC, and Baltimore. The chapter closes with consideration of health and safety, specifically: noise, air pollution, traffic and personal safety.
Chapter 7 is devoted to the sociocultural aspects of the effects of resource development. This chapter begins with consideration of time dimension factors influencing social impact and proceeds through the examination of: application of the community impact model, some cautions about using the comparative model, and finally the sources of data and key social impact variables to be considered. The final chapter is concerned with the organisation of social impact information for evaluation by decision-makers and citizens. Herein, one will find consideration of: the issues in social impact portrayal, politically relevant impact categories and the value of accurate data representation. The text contains several rather nice illustrations which will be useful to the reader.
Handbook for Environmental Planning: The Social Consequences for Environmental is a systematic approach to the management of the social consequences of environmental change. It is a comprehensive evaluation of the consequences to be considered, with practical and theoretical guidance.