Book review: Understanding human development in the western United States

Abstract

Isn't that development new?" is perhaps the phrase most frequently uttered by people who live in the western US. The West, it seems, is sucking Americans into its precious places at a rate that is unparalleled in recent US history. As humans continue to diffuse into the western landscape, they bring their corresponding demands for energy, transportation, water, amenities, and recreation. In the end, they end up transforming, and even destroying, the intense beauty of the land that once attracted them. While his previous book "Atlas of the New West" (Reibsame et al. 1997, WW Norton and Company, New York) documented, at a coarse scale, the western transformation by humankind, Travis's new book cuts right to the heart of the problem and presents a comprehensive summary of current conditions. This is followed by a pin-point diagnosis of the problems involved in western human development. Travis then goes one step further and presents possible solutions to minimize the human stain onwestern landscapes. Travis recognizes the importance of pattern and scale in development and he uses these concepts to propose a possible solution to the West's pressing problems.

Citation

Keane, Robert E. 2008. Book review: Understanding human development in the western United States. Landscape Ecology. 23: 627-628.