Evaluating and Conserving Green Infrastructure Across the Landscape

Evaluating and Conserving Green Infrastructure Across the Landscape

Author: Karen Firehock

Publisher:

Published: 2013-04-30

Total Pages: 132

ISBN-13: 9780989310307

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This is the New York State edition of the GIC's guide to evaluating and conserving green infrastructure (GI) across the landscape. It provides an historical background to GI, as well as practical steps for creating GI maps and plans for a community. It discusses issues around evaluating green assets, public involvement in the mapping process, and the practical steps in bringing together GIS information into a useful format. It draws from twelve field tests GIC has conducted over the past six years in a diversity of ecological and political conditions, at multiple scales, and in varied development patterns – from wildlands and rural areas to suburbs, cities and towns. This guide is intended to help people make land management decisions which recognize the interdependence of healthy people, strong economies and a vibrant, intact and biologically diverse landscape. Green infrastructure consists of our environmental assets – which GIC also calls ‘natural assets’ – and they should be included in planning processes. Planning to conserve or restore green infrastructure ensures that communities can be vibrant, healthful and resilient. Having clean air and water, as well as nature-based recreation, attractive views and abundant local food, depends upon considering our environmental assets as part of everyday planning. Available from GIC at www.gicinc.org.


Autonomous Vehicle Technology

Autonomous Vehicle Technology

Author: James M. Anderson

Publisher: Rand Corporation

Published: 2014-01-10

Total Pages: 215

ISBN-13: 0833084372

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The automotive industry appears close to substantial change engendered by “self-driving” technologies. This technology offers the possibility of significant benefits to social welfare—saving lives; reducing crashes, congestion, fuel consumption, and pollution; increasing mobility for the disabled; and ultimately improving land use. This report is intended as a guide for state and federal policymakers on the many issues that this technology raises.


Building Resilience to Climate Change

Building Resilience to Climate Change

Author: Angela Andrade Pérez

Publisher: IUCN

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 85

ISBN-13: 2831712904

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With climate change now a certainty, the question is how much change there will be and what can be done about it. One of the answers is through adaptation. Many of the lessons that are being learned in adaptation are from success stories from the field. This publication contains eleven case studies covering different ecosystems and regions around the world. Its aim is to summarize some current applications of the Ecosystem-Based Adaptation concept and its tools used around the world, and also draw lessons from experiences in conservation adaptation.


Growth Within Bounds

Growth Within Bounds

Author: California. Commission on Local Governance for the 21st Century

Publisher: DIANE Publishing

Published: 2000

Total Pages: 248

ISBN-13: 9780756706319

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In 1997 the State of California Legislature created the Commission on Local Governance for the 21st Century to review current statutes &, where appropriate, recommend revisions to the laws that govern city, county, and special district boundary changes. Over a period of 16 months, the Commission held 25 days of public hearings, received over 100 recommendations, and had nearly 90,000 visits to the commission's website. Based upon this extensive input and deliberations on the information received, the Commission has issued this report, which concludes with a strategic plan for its implementation by the California Legislature. Illustrated.


The Future of International Environmental Law

The Future of International Environmental Law

Author: David Kenneth Leary

Publisher:

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9789280811926

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This book explores the future of international environmental law in a world of ever worsening environmental crises. It examines the success stories and failures of international environmental law and argues that future responses to global environmental crises will be more about good environmental governance than just more treaties and laws. Environmental governance will need to accommodate the needs and aspirations of peoples from developed and developing countries alike and will have to be based on decisions and actions by a vast range of actors and stakeholders--not just the nation-state that has traditionally dominated environmental diplomacy. This also suggests a need to be cognizant of the close links to other areas of international law, including human rights. "The Future of International Environmental Law" tackles the major environmental challenges of our times including climate change, biodiversity loss, and polluction and overfishing of the oceans. It examines what we can learn from the implementation of existing international environmental laws over the past few decades. It also considers a range of emerging issues such as the management of the environmental challenges faced by the Arctic, nanotechnology, biofuels and synthetic genomics.