In the Mojave Desert, military bases could become islands of habitat in a sea of urban sprawl. Now researchers are using GIS and other tools to study the options.
In 1995, a consortium of university and government researchers completed a regionwide landscape study for the military in southern California. The Camp Pendleton Alternative Futures study looked not only at this particular Marine base, but also at the five major watersheds that flow through the base before reaching the Pacific Ocean. The study used computer simulations to illustrate what could happen in the region under different assumptions about population and the location of urban growth.Matt Stevenson is the GIS specialist for the Mojave Desert Alternative Futures Project at Utah State University. Natalie Robins is a landscape architect with Olson+Olson Planning and Design in Calgary, Alberta.This article summary is provided as a service to the urban planning community. However, this article is not available online. For subscription and ordering information, visit Planning Magazine at: http://www.planning.org/pubs/planning.html
Thanks to Laura Krafft
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Eastern Nebraska is running out of electricity
Data centers and electrification are straining eastern Nebraska’s grid, throttling economic development.
Move over, LA: St. Louis gears up for Olympics, invests millions in downtown redevelopment
The Missouri city will host the 2028 Olympic soccer group stage and knockout matches.
Mass. votes against statewide minimum lot size for single-family homes
Over 2 million residents voted on Question 7; it was decided by just over 30,000 votes.
Maryland’s $15 billion bridge project gains key approval
The Maryland Transit Authority said the project will create over 60,000 jobs and add $23 billion to the local economy.
‘No clear next steps’ for Chicago's permanent festival grounds
Eleventh Ward Ald. Nicole Lee has suggested Soldier Field as a possible location for the permanent event space.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
University of Michigan School for Environment and Sustainability (SEAS)
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority