Journal of Planning Education and Research, Jun 1, 2007
This paper documents and analyzes a portion of the U.S. government's attempt to adopt the con... more This paper documents and analyzes a portion of the U.S. government's attempt to adopt the concept of sustainability after 1992. Numerous case studies of individual sustainable community development projects exist, although almost no literature describes the coordinated federal-level effort to create and implement a sustainable development policy from 1993 to 2000. Case studies of three prominent federal-level sustainable community programs are developed from twenty guided interviews and existing government documents. The analysis of these three cases reveals serious attempts to translate sustainability into federal programs and changes in agency cultures despite institutional barriers. Although the primary outcome of these efforts was a stronger framework for facilitation of planning at the federal level, it still remains unclear why planners were not more involved in this process.
International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 2006
Culture is touted as integral to the concept of sustainable development, yet most sustainable dev... more Culture is touted as integral to the concept of sustainable development, yet most sustainable development efforts omit a cultural component. This paper targets traditional handicrafts as a potential cultural component for a sustainable development strategy. This paper analyses two of the traditional crafts of Chiang Mai, Thailand - saa papermaking and laquerware production - to identify the aspects of culture, environment and livelihood embedded in these crafts. The traditional production processes are diagrammed to illustrate the natural resource inputs and environmental impacts of these processes, as well as to identify spin-off economic activities from those same natural resources. The objective is to build a case for a culturally sensitive sustainable development that would revive traditional knowledge and skills, revitalise renewable natural resources and spawn new restorative economic activities that work in synergy with nature and culture.
Journal of Planning Education and Research, Mar 1, 2008
engaging the future also requires engaging one’s visual imagination and aesthetic sense of place.... more engaging the future also requires engaging one’s visual imagination and aesthetic sense of place. As good as it is, Engaging the Future could have been even better if had been expanded beyond land use and urban development planning to include “future-thinking” in other planning subfields, most notably housing, transportation planning, economic development, and environmental planning. How, for example, might we develop and investigate a transit planning scenario in which local bus services were free? Or how might we simulate converting low-income rent subsidies to homeownership subsidies? Or envision an economic development planning process for making existing industries greener? Pieces of various chapters touch on some of these topics, but for the most part, Engaging the Future is concerned with alternative spatial arrangements of urban development. Usually at this point in a JPER book review, one concludes by noting who should read—or better yet buy—the volume under review. Engaging the Future spans silos; it has value for many audiences. Every practicing planner helping to chart the physical or social future of a neighborhood, community, or region should consult this book to clarify what they are doing and why. Every planning student studying quantitative and qualitative planning methods and planning theory should sit down with this book to learn how these narrowly circumscribed subjects can be integrated into a broader and more exciting model of community engagement. Perhaps the best audience for this book is planning researchers like me who toil for months in front of their computer screens hoping to produce the perfect planning projection, forecasting, or scenario model. The lesson for us is the same as Noah Cross’s lesson for Jake Gittes: instead of studying the future, we should engage it with vision and boldness.
Sustainability, a public policy goal that is not easily defined nor measured, often foments inten... more Sustainability, a public policy goal that is not easily defined nor measured, often foments intense debates and disagreements. Yet it often acts as a rallying call for addressing natural, economic,...
But these are small quibbles when placed against the significance of what this volume accomplishe... more But these are small quibbles when placed against the significance of what this volume accomplishes. The rich collection of material presented here underscores what is becoming increasingly obvious to art historians of South Asia, that the study of art produced in the context of Jainism is essential for an adequate understanding of South Asian art and culture more generally. The many fine illustrations also serve as a wonderful introduction to the material culture of Jain religiosity.
This chapter reflects on the resource curse and the boom-bust consequences familiar in the rural ... more This chapter reflects on the resource curse and the boom-bust consequences familiar in the rural United States. It presents a case study of Bradford County in Pennsylvania's northern tier, which lies above part of the Marcellus Shale. As largely agricultural Bradford County transforms rapidly with natural gas extraction, boomtown models are compared, with the Bradford County current shale gas boom following along lines of previous energy boomtowns. The new energy development in Bradford County and its communities follows models developed over decades by researchers and planners studying boom and bust trends and development. But in contrast to more typical scenarios, Bradford County responded with new focuses on human capital investments, new partnerships with higher education institutions, and other capacity-building initiatives for local officials and community stakeholders to shift the power balance to community development rather than reactive responses.
Islands with traditional villages and rural landscapes are major attractors to tourism. The herit... more Islands with traditional villages and rural landscapes are major attractors to tourism. The heritage, local products and cultural landscapes are a significant part of the draw of visitors. However, it is these aspects of the island that, even if they are formally protected, often suffer from the high demands of tourism. Add the threats of climate change and you have places that suffer from unexpected interference with a way of life and a disturbance of a long lasting balance of human-nature relationships. Four themes run through the three papers and will be discussed from different angles – that of a stakeholder, a consultant, and a researcher. The first theme is that of the on-the-ground issues and losses that are caused by mass tourism overshadowing traditional local economies. Where are the opportunities to change this imbalance? The second theme is that of local-level decision-making in development projects. In most cases the voice of local stakeholders is weak or even non-existent. What can be done to reverse that reality? The third theme is that of land/nature disruptions caused by climate change, development decisions, or tourism pressures. How can the people-nature connection be better recognized and protected, especially with respect to livelihood? And the last theme is the current conflicts between the demands of the tourist/visitor and the needs of the local populations and local landscape. What needs to be done to benefit both the visitors and the local populations in a more equitable manner? The analysis of these four themes in three different landscapes is presented and several examples of local solutions are discussed. This session seeks to spark further discussion of possible solutions to the questions posed above.
For decades, rural communities in the US have sought to attract industrial development via tax an... more For decades, rural communities in the US have sought to attract industrial development via tax and zoning incentives and other subsidies. But what happens in the decades which follow after a large company establishes itself? Sudeshna Ghosh and Carla Chifos tracked the effects of Toyota's manufacturing plant on rural counties in Kentucky over three decades. They find that most Toyota-related development occurred in urban rather than rural areas. Rural counties, they write, need to prepare for the positive and negative effects of attracting new large-scale industries.
Four thousand years of shaping the landscape, developing sustainable agricultural practices and p... more Four thousand years of shaping the landscape, developing sustainable agricultural practices and products, and forming a symbiotic relationship with ecological systems in the Aposelemis Valley of Crete has been disrupted due to the building of a large dam in the heart of that landscape. The politics and decision-making that resulted in the building and implementation of this dam are already documented and analyzed in a recent paper (Chifos, et al, 2019). This paper re-examines what happened in this Valley from the perspective of the cultural/heritage advocates and where the barriers to protecting and maintaining this landscape were and still are. This thriving rural landscape with five inhabited old villages, was recognized as a Natura site, a Ramsar site, was experiencing new archeological finds from Minoan, Roman, and Venetian eras, as well as being championed by local cultural associations, an agricultural cooperative, active farmers and shepherds, and environmentalists. Every suc...
Journal of Planning Education and Research, Jun 1, 2007
This paper documents and analyzes a portion of the U.S. government's attempt to adopt the con... more This paper documents and analyzes a portion of the U.S. government's attempt to adopt the concept of sustainability after 1992. Numerous case studies of individual sustainable community development projects exist, although almost no literature describes the coordinated federal-level effort to create and implement a sustainable development policy from 1993 to 2000. Case studies of three prominent federal-level sustainable community programs are developed from twenty guided interviews and existing government documents. The analysis of these three cases reveals serious attempts to translate sustainability into federal programs and changes in agency cultures despite institutional barriers. Although the primary outcome of these efforts was a stronger framework for facilitation of planning at the federal level, it still remains unclear why planners were not more involved in this process.
International Journal of Environment and Sustainable Development, 2006
Culture is touted as integral to the concept of sustainable development, yet most sustainable dev... more Culture is touted as integral to the concept of sustainable development, yet most sustainable development efforts omit a cultural component. This paper targets traditional handicrafts as a potential cultural component for a sustainable development strategy. This paper analyses two of the traditional crafts of Chiang Mai, Thailand - saa papermaking and laquerware production - to identify the aspects of culture, environment and livelihood embedded in these crafts. The traditional production processes are diagrammed to illustrate the natural resource inputs and environmental impacts of these processes, as well as to identify spin-off economic activities from those same natural resources. The objective is to build a case for a culturally sensitive sustainable development that would revive traditional knowledge and skills, revitalise renewable natural resources and spawn new restorative economic activities that work in synergy with nature and culture.
Journal of Planning Education and Research, Mar 1, 2008
engaging the future also requires engaging one’s visual imagination and aesthetic sense of place.... more engaging the future also requires engaging one’s visual imagination and aesthetic sense of place. As good as it is, Engaging the Future could have been even better if had been expanded beyond land use and urban development planning to include “future-thinking” in other planning subfields, most notably housing, transportation planning, economic development, and environmental planning. How, for example, might we develop and investigate a transit planning scenario in which local bus services were free? Or how might we simulate converting low-income rent subsidies to homeownership subsidies? Or envision an economic development planning process for making existing industries greener? Pieces of various chapters touch on some of these topics, but for the most part, Engaging the Future is concerned with alternative spatial arrangements of urban development. Usually at this point in a JPER book review, one concludes by noting who should read—or better yet buy—the volume under review. Engaging the Future spans silos; it has value for many audiences. Every practicing planner helping to chart the physical or social future of a neighborhood, community, or region should consult this book to clarify what they are doing and why. Every planning student studying quantitative and qualitative planning methods and planning theory should sit down with this book to learn how these narrowly circumscribed subjects can be integrated into a broader and more exciting model of community engagement. Perhaps the best audience for this book is planning researchers like me who toil for months in front of their computer screens hoping to produce the perfect planning projection, forecasting, or scenario model. The lesson for us is the same as Noah Cross’s lesson for Jake Gittes: instead of studying the future, we should engage it with vision and boldness.
Sustainability, a public policy goal that is not easily defined nor measured, often foments inten... more Sustainability, a public policy goal that is not easily defined nor measured, often foments intense debates and disagreements. Yet it often acts as a rallying call for addressing natural, economic,...
But these are small quibbles when placed against the significance of what this volume accomplishe... more But these are small quibbles when placed against the significance of what this volume accomplishes. The rich collection of material presented here underscores what is becoming increasingly obvious to art historians of South Asia, that the study of art produced in the context of Jainism is essential for an adequate understanding of South Asian art and culture more generally. The many fine illustrations also serve as a wonderful introduction to the material culture of Jain religiosity.
This chapter reflects on the resource curse and the boom-bust consequences familiar in the rural ... more This chapter reflects on the resource curse and the boom-bust consequences familiar in the rural United States. It presents a case study of Bradford County in Pennsylvania's northern tier, which lies above part of the Marcellus Shale. As largely agricultural Bradford County transforms rapidly with natural gas extraction, boomtown models are compared, with the Bradford County current shale gas boom following along lines of previous energy boomtowns. The new energy development in Bradford County and its communities follows models developed over decades by researchers and planners studying boom and bust trends and development. But in contrast to more typical scenarios, Bradford County responded with new focuses on human capital investments, new partnerships with higher education institutions, and other capacity-building initiatives for local officials and community stakeholders to shift the power balance to community development rather than reactive responses.
Islands with traditional villages and rural landscapes are major attractors to tourism. The herit... more Islands with traditional villages and rural landscapes are major attractors to tourism. The heritage, local products and cultural landscapes are a significant part of the draw of visitors. However, it is these aspects of the island that, even if they are formally protected, often suffer from the high demands of tourism. Add the threats of climate change and you have places that suffer from unexpected interference with a way of life and a disturbance of a long lasting balance of human-nature relationships. Four themes run through the three papers and will be discussed from different angles – that of a stakeholder, a consultant, and a researcher. The first theme is that of the on-the-ground issues and losses that are caused by mass tourism overshadowing traditional local economies. Where are the opportunities to change this imbalance? The second theme is that of local-level decision-making in development projects. In most cases the voice of local stakeholders is weak or even non-existent. What can be done to reverse that reality? The third theme is that of land/nature disruptions caused by climate change, development decisions, or tourism pressures. How can the people-nature connection be better recognized and protected, especially with respect to livelihood? And the last theme is the current conflicts between the demands of the tourist/visitor and the needs of the local populations and local landscape. What needs to be done to benefit both the visitors and the local populations in a more equitable manner? The analysis of these four themes in three different landscapes is presented and several examples of local solutions are discussed. This session seeks to spark further discussion of possible solutions to the questions posed above.
For decades, rural communities in the US have sought to attract industrial development via tax an... more For decades, rural communities in the US have sought to attract industrial development via tax and zoning incentives and other subsidies. But what happens in the decades which follow after a large company establishes itself? Sudeshna Ghosh and Carla Chifos tracked the effects of Toyota's manufacturing plant on rural counties in Kentucky over three decades. They find that most Toyota-related development occurred in urban rather than rural areas. Rural counties, they write, need to prepare for the positive and negative effects of attracting new large-scale industries.
Four thousand years of shaping the landscape, developing sustainable agricultural practices and p... more Four thousand years of shaping the landscape, developing sustainable agricultural practices and products, and forming a symbiotic relationship with ecological systems in the Aposelemis Valley of Crete has been disrupted due to the building of a large dam in the heart of that landscape. The politics and decision-making that resulted in the building and implementation of this dam are already documented and analyzed in a recent paper (Chifos, et al, 2019). This paper re-examines what happened in this Valley from the perspective of the cultural/heritage advocates and where the barriers to protecting and maintaining this landscape were and still are. This thriving rural landscape with five inhabited old villages, was recognized as a Natura site, a Ramsar site, was experiencing new archeological finds from Minoan, Roman, and Venetian eras, as well as being championed by local cultural associations, an agricultural cooperative, active farmers and shepherds, and environmentalists. Every suc...
Uploads
Papers by Carla Chifos