"That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology," wrote Aldo
Leopold in 1933, "but that land is to be loved and respected is an
extension of ethics." Since then, every generation has taken up
Leopold's search for a "land ethic" to guide decision making which would
balance economic considerations with concerns for beauty, sustainability
and quality of life. Should a community preserve or develop the
remaining wetlands within its jurisdiction? Should a local government
allow low-income housing to be built in an affluent neighborhood? Does a
farmer continue farming despite surrounding urbanization or does he sell
the land for a profit and allow further development?
Ethical Land Use is the first comprehensive examination of the
eithical dimensions of land-use decisions and policy. Its premise is
that all land-use decisions--whether to build an interstate highway or
maintain a suburban lawn with chemical fertilizers--invariably involve
ethical choices. Historically Beatley observes, many such decisions were
made on narrow legal, technical, or economic grounds rather than on a
full consideration of their complex ethical and moral dimensions.
Drawing on a combination of actual land-use conflicts and hypothetical
scenarios, Beatley offers a full description and analysis of the
difficult issues faced by policy makers as well as individual citizens.
He concludes by proposing a practical set of principles for ethical land
use to guide future policy and planning
