Processes As Values

This chapter tells us about problems of expunging richness and values of the land because of an inexorable growth spread a smear of low-grade urban tissue. The site that has been chosen by Ian L. McHarg is Staten Island in Manhattan city. Manhattan city offered the greatest range of environment that could be enjoyed by its inhabitants. The values are abundant, the crystalline rocks of Manhattan near the surface offer magnificent foundations, a splendid deep river and natural harbor, two bays at Jamaica and Newark, the Noble Hudson draining a rich and beautiful hinterland, (the paradisiacal river of the Indians which flowed in both directions), the oceans and beaches, marshes and meadows, palisades, ridges and not least, a number of islands, among them are Staten Islands. The original setting of Manhattan also provided great opportunities for this alternation between city and country, from man to the wildest of nature. But it was not to be, the growth spread disappearing all the great richness and value. All the resources rendered useless by pollution. Staten Island which is one of the islands in Manhattan retained its unique quality as a bucolic haven rather longer than any other area as near to Manhattan but its value is fast disappearing. The last assault that can be seen is precipitated by the Verrazano Bridge which could well lead to its demise.

So this study was an attempt to reveal the alternatives for the future destiny of the beleaguered island. The study should be made of the island to discern its intrinsic suitability from the use and disposition of the land but which land are intrinsically suitable for conservation, for active and passive recreation, which are most suitable for commerce and industry and which land suitable for residential land use?

The basic proposition employed is that any places that have historical, physical and biological processes are dynamic which they constitute social values that each area has an intrinsic suitability for certain land uses for example, flat land with good surface and soil drainage is intrinsically the most suitable land for extensive recreation while areas of diverse topography represent a higher value for passive recreation. Areas of diversity and high scenic interest have a high social value for conservation and passive recreation, at the same time being highly desirable locations for residential development. These apparent conflicts can be resolved in a number of ways. Because of their scarcity and vulnerability, certain resources may represent such high values for conservation that other uses should be excluded. Multiple uses of some areas may be permitted if it is assured that intrinsic values are not compromised. Yet, if the two uses were coequally suitable, it depends on the society to make a choice.

The Staten Island Study merely indicates those areas where certain land uses both single and multiple, can occur with the least costs and the greatest savings and benefits. The first thing to employs rational method by derived the evidence from sciences. The statement should be made on the major data which is geology, hydrology, soils, plant ecology and wildlife are collected from substantial sources. This holds true for the interpretations of zones of atmospheric pollution, tidal inundation, rocks in terms of compressive strength and soil drainage.

The application of this concept can be seen in the adjacent charts. In the selection of the most suitable area for residential land use, over more than thirty factors were considered. Those considered subdivided in the categories of climate, geology, physiography, hydrology, soil, vegetation, wildlife habitat and land use. Within each of these categories data were collected on factors of importance to all prospective land use. Each factor was mapped in tones of gray from most to least and this same information was reversed to be employed in inverted order when necessary. Further, a blue dot indicates rank order from left to right while the black dots represent reverse order. Also, factors of highest importance are shown with full black and blue dots but lower values decrease in color and tonal intensity. All maps were made as transparencies, the results showed the maximum concurrence of all the positive factors and the least restrictions that indicate the areas intrinsically suitable for each land use - recreation, conservation, and both the residential and industrial-commercial aspects of urbanization.

Recreational areas

Urbanization areas - Conservation areas

These are the criteria of each land use:

RESIDENTIAL

Scenic land features, riparian lands, scenic cultural features, good bedrock foundations and good soil foundations.

COMMERCIAL-INDUSTRIAL

Good soil foundations, good bedrock foundations and navigable channels.

PASSIVE RECREATIONAL

Unique physiographic features, scenic water features, streams, features of historic values, high-quality forests, high quality marshes, scenic land features, scenic cultural features, unique geological features, scarce ecological associations, water associated wildlife habitats, field and forest wildlife habitats.

ACTIVE RECREATIONAL

Bay beaches, expanse of water for pleasure craft, fresh water areas, riparian lands, flat land, existing and potential recreation areas.

There are now maps of intrinsic suitability for residential land use, commerce-industry, conservation, passive and active recreation. These have an existence in their own right, but we seek to find not only intrinsic single uses but also incompatible coexisting ones and areas of competition. Commerce-industry and residential use can be incorporated into a single map of urban suitability. Active and passive recreation can be combined into a single one of recreational suitability. Now, we have a residuum of three maps, - Conservation, Recreation and Urbanization – which we are required to resolve. The single suitability technique using tones of gray on transparent map cannot be use anymore. We need to allocate yellow as conservation and reconstitute the tones of gray into a range of brightness. We will map recreation in grades of blue and urbanization in gray. Where a land use has no conflict, nor it is complementary, we can map the area in its appropriate color and in a scale of brightness appropriate to its value. Where there are complementary, such as recreation and conservation, the combination of blue and yellow will produce green and the brightness will reflect the degree of value. The combination of gray and blue will produce - urbanization and recreation - will show in the blue-gray range while a coequal suitability for all three categories will result in the combination of gray, blue and yellow producing a range of gray-green.

A composite map

Conservation-Urbanization-Recreational