DOCSLIB.ORG

UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations UC Berkeley UC Berkeley Electronic Theses and Dissertations Title Suburbs of Last Resort: Landscape, Life, and Ruin on the Edges of San Francisco Bay Permalink https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6c87q28k Author Ekman, Peter Publication Date 2016 Peer reviewed|Thesis/dissertation eScholarship.org Powered by the California Digital Library University of California Suburbs of Last Resort: Landscape, Life, and Ruin on the Edges of San Francisco Bay by Peter Sheldon Read Ekman A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Geography in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Emeritus Paul Groth, Chair Associate Professor Jake Kosek Professor Louise Mozingo Fall 2016 Abstract Suburbs of Last Resort: Landscape, Life, and Ruin on the Edges of San Francisco Bay by Peter Sheldon Read Ekman Doctor of Philosophy in Geography University of California, Berkeley Professor Emeritus Paul Groth, Chair This study surveys the historical geography of suburban landscapes built and abandoned over the course of the United States’ long twentieth century. Diverse thinkers and actors, it shows, have understood the edges of the American metropolis to be laboratories of a sort, experimental sites where the forms of a reordered city might be glimpsed in microcosm and put on display. Suburbs have also served as laboratories where questions of landscape’s animacy — not what landscape means, the focus of a generation of scholarship in cultural geography, but what landscape does — came vividly to the fore, provoking much debate and speculation. Drawing on archival sources, visual materials, maps, plans, and field study of the built environment, this work recasts debates that have long been central to cultural geography, geographic thought, urban and suburban studies, and the intellectual histories of planning and urbanism. It argues that both the modal techniques planners and builders came to prescribe for the post–World War II suburb and the most noticeable programs since predicated on redressing suburbia’s perceived failures can find their roots in prewar debates, ontological in character, on the “life” proper to landscape, indeed to matter itself. Both tendencies, the study argues furthermore, established the terms by which Americans since have considered the possibility of giving life form by way of its environment — and assessed the threats presented by built environments deemed formless. This work makes its intervention in three stages. It first assembles a new intellectual history of American planning around questions of the suburbanization of industry and the decentralization of urban form. During the Progressive Era, planners, architects, industrialists, realtors, and a host of reformers held industrial suburbs, more than strictly residential ones, to be the key to remedying urban “congestion.” In ways that existing histories have not realized, these actors also articulated a distinctive ontology of suburban landscape as an animate participant in life and work. This was not an environmental determinism, as most geographers would have it, but rather a multiform theory of the milieu that was indebted to broader vitalist and materialist currents in social thought. Numerous social scientists, life scientists, and philosophers, too, contribute to this history. In juxtaposing their thought with that of the first generation of self-identified scientific planners, this study explores ongoing tensions between formalist and anti-formalist, rationalist and vitalist, organismic and non-organismic tendencies lending structure to how certain Americans have made sense of how landscape matters. Many maneuvers central to 1 contemporary “new” materialisms, “object-oriented” ontologies, and “non-representational” theories in geography and its neighboring disciplines are, in fact, quite old. To couple them with questions of landscape, one does well to revisit the decentralist debates taking place at the turn of the twentieth century. The analysis then scales down empirically to the San Francisco Bay Region, where premiums on a decentralized metropolitan form, as well as notions of the environment’s “influence,” have particularly deep roots. It turns most especially to the Carquinez Strait, a peculiar, imperfectly visible vector of suburbanization east of the bay, to which industrial flight was early, intense, relatively coordinated, and financed remotely by capitalists in San Francisco and, to some extent, Oakland. From the late nineteenth century on, the Carquinez became a repository for only the most noxious functions expelled from denser urban centers, as well as a site of considerable experimentation in sorting, buffering, and enclosing the “whole” new towns employers composed adjacent to their workplaces between 1880 and 1930. In surprising, sometimes unsettling ways, planners and industrialists also theorized the affordances of ambient climate and unbuilt environment to industrial work. A prehistory of the post–World War II suburb must consider the portable models and morphologies worked out in these and other “suburbs of last resort.” As the narrative moves into the postwar period, its conceptual focus pivots from questions of suburban order to suburban ruin. Since the 1970s, the Carquinez has been marked by landscapes of abandonment: decapitalized workplaces, decommissioned military installations, and, lately, overgrown pockets of the post-2008 residential foreclosure crisis. Suburbs and peripheries are increasingly the loci of American privation, but there is still a tendency among analysts to narrate urban “decline” in ways that privilege denser centers, deploying metaphors of the rotting core rather than the fraying edge, and granting visibility and salience to some landscapes of decay at the expense of others. “Suburbs of Last Resort” establishes a prehistory in this sense as well. It argues that concepts of inbuilt suburban “formlessness,” which intensified in Northern California in the 1950s and 1960s, have rendered working-class suburbs, even or especially in times of their abandonment, peculiarly invisible. Such notions, too, have roots in prewar debates. The study closes by tracing a countervailing intellectual history, complementary to the more affirmative account of prescriptions for suburban form, of attempts to ontologize — and to denigrate — newly built suburbs as their own species of “ruins.” It has been precisely when their form is ambiguous or abandoned that suburban landscapes have seemed most animate: “contagious” in their putative spread, productive of manifold anxieties, and provocative of new forms of reflection and action. 2 For all and none i Table of Contents Acknowledgments iii Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Experiments on the Edge: Working Suburbs and the Method of a Scientific Planning 7 Chapter 2 Rethinking the Rational City: Urban Form and the Revolt against Formalism 23 Chapter 3 “Problems Peculiar to This Coast”: Vitalist Planning and Metropolitan Dispersal in the Bay Region 54 Chapter 4 “Terra Incognita, Although Close at Hand”: Capitalist Regionalism and the Specialization of the Carquinez Strait 78 Chapter 5 Enclosure and the “Idea of a Town”: Composing Suburban Units for Life and Work 93 Chapter 6 “The World’s Best Working Climate”: Nature, Race, and the Involuntary 116 Chapter 7 The Force of Example: Display and Demonstration on the Carquinez 142 Chapter 8 Sensing Suburban Ruin: Abandonment and the Afterlives of Form 174 Illustrations 219 Bibliography 341 ii Acknowledgments Paul Groth was the first one to call me a geographer — it had not occurred to me — and ever since he has been an estimable companion in sizing up the landscape. His mind and eye are singular things. Jake Kosek has stoked my élan vital for almost as long, a close reader unconstrained in his curiosity and unafraid to puncture convention as to what matters and doesn’t. Louise Mozingo’s readings and repartee have steadied the project, underwritten by a confidence that its assorted parts do, in fact, belong together. These three gave this work their formal backing, and their many forms of support leave the author indefinitely in their debt. “Some things can be done as well as others,” but significant portions of this research would have been impossible without the assistance of archivists at Berkeley’s superb Bancroft Library; its Environmental Design Archives; the Contra Costa County Historical Society in Martinez, California; the California Historical Society in San Francisco; the San Francisco and Oakland Public Libraries’ respective History Rooms; the Kislak Center for Special Collections at Penn; the Kroch Library at Cornell; the Loeb Library at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design; the University of Michigan’s Bentley Historical Library; the Prelinger Library in San Francisco; the Rockefeller Archive Center in Sleepy Hollow, New York; the Institute Archives and Special Collections at MIT; the very special collections at Monmouth University in New Jersey; and “Archives II” at College Park, Maryland. Good things came my way from audiences at the Savannah College of Art and Design; Valparaiso University; the Bancroft Library; Berkeley’s Center for Science, Technology, Medicine, and Society; the Urban History Association; the International Conference of Historical Geographers; and various iterations of the American Association of Geographers. The Vernacular Architecture Forum and the Society for American City and Regional Planning History, too,
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Collective Action Dynamics in Urban Neighborhoods: a Study of Urban Community Gardens Nishesh Chalise Washington University in St
    Washington University in St. Louis Washington University Open Scholarship Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations Arts & Sciences Winter 12-15-2015 Collective Action Dynamics in Urban Neighborhoods: A Study of Urban Community Gardens Nishesh Chalise Washington University in St. Louis Follow this and additional works at: https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds Recommended Citation Chalise, Nishesh, "Collective Action Dynamics in Urban Neighborhoods: A Study of Urban Community Gardens" (2015). Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 641. https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/art_sci_etds/641 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Arts & Sciences at Washington University Open Scholarship. It has been accepted for inclusion in Arts & Sciences Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Washington University Open Scholarship. For more information, please contact [email protected]. WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS Brown School of Social Work Dissertation Examination Committee: Gautam Yadama, Chair Aaron Hipp Peter Hovmand Shanta Pandey Jason Purnell Collective Action Dynamics in Urban Neighborhoods: A Study of Urban Community Gardens by Nishesh Chalise A dissertation presented to the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences of Washington University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy December 2015 St. Louis, Missouri © 2015, Nishesh Chalise Table of Contents List of Figures ...............................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • 1180 Main Street Project, Cultural Resources Inventory and Evaluation Report, Redwood City, San Mateo County, California
    1180 Main Street Project, Cultural Resources Inventory and Evaluation Report, Redwood City, San Mateo County, California Prepared for: Premia Capital, LLC 801 Hamilton Street Redwood City, CA Prepared by: Stantec Consulting Services, Inc. January 18, 2019 1180 MAIN STREET PROJECT, CULTURAL RESOURCES INVENTORY AND EVALUATION REPORT, REDWOOD CITY, SAN MATEO COUNTY, CALIFORNIA This document entitled 1180 Main Street Project, Cultural Resources Inventory and Evaluation Report, Redwood City, San Mateo County, California was prepared by Stantec Inc. (“Stantec”) for the account of Premia Capital, LLC (the “Client”). Any reliance on this document by any third party is strictly prohibited. The material in it reflects Stantec’s professional judgment in light of the scope, schedule and other limitations stated in the document and in the contract between Stantec and the Client. The opinions in the document are based on conditions and information existing at the time the document was published and do not take into account any subsequent changes. In preparing the document, Stantec did not verify information supplied to it by others. Any use which a third party makes of this document is the responsibility of such third party. Such third party agrees that Stantec shall not be responsible for costs or damages of any kind, if any, suffered by it or any other third party as a result of decisions made or actions taken based on this document. Prepared by (signature) Joanne Grant, Archaeologist, MA, RPA Reviewed by (signature) John A. Nadolski, M.A. Approved
    [Show full text]
  • Operating in Insecure Environments
    Operating in Insecure Environments Jane Nelson Senior Fellow and Director, Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University August 2006 ⎪ Working Paper No. 25 A Working Paper of the: Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative A Cooperative Project among: The Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government The Center for Public Leadership The Hauser Center for Nonprofit Organizations The Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy Citation This paper may be cited as: Nelson, Jane. 2006. “Operating in Insecure Environments.” Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative Working Paper No. 25. Cambridge, MA: John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University. Comments may be directed to the author. This paper was prepared for the Brookings-Blum Roundtable, “Breaking the Poverty- Insecurity Nexus,” held in Aspen, Colorado, on August 2-4, 2006. Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative The Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government is a multi-disciplinary and multi-stakeholder program that seeks to study and enhance the public contributions of private enterprise. It explores the intersection of corporate responsibility, corporate governance and strategy, public policy, and the media. It bridges theory and practice, builds leadership skills, and supports constructive dialogue and collaboration among different sectors. It was founded in 2004 with the support of Walter H. Shorenstein, Chevron Corporation, The Coca-Cola Company,
    [Show full text]
  • National Register of Historic Places Registration Form
    NPSForm 10-900 OMB No. 1024-0018 (Oct. 1990) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Registration Form This form is for use in nominating or requesting determinations for individual properties ow toi Complete the National Register of Historic Places Registration Form (National Register Bulletin 16A). e appropriate box or by entering the information requested. If any item does not apply to the property being documented, enter l ill i " For functions, architectural classification, materials, and areas of significance, enter only categories and subcategories from the instructions. Place additional entries and narrative items on continuation sheets (NPS Form 10-900a). Use a typewriter, word processor, or computer, to complete all items. 1. Name of Property historic name Folger Estate Stable Historic District_____________________ other names/site number Jones Ranch ________________________ 2. Location street & number 4040 Woodside Road___________ NA [H not for publication city or town Woodside_____________________ NAG vicinity state California_______ code CA county San Mateo. code 081_ zip code 94062 3. State/Federal Agency Certification As the designated authority under the National Historic Preservation Act of 1986, as amended, I hereby certify that this £3 nomination D request for determination of eligibility meets the documentation standards for registering properties in the National Register of Historic Places and meets the procedural and professional requirements set forth in 36 CFR Part 60. In my opinion, the property E3 meets D does not meet the National Register Criteria. I recommend that this property be considered significant D nationally n statewide 13 locally. ( Q See continuation sheet for additional comments.) Signature of certifying official/Title Date California Office of Historic Preservation State or Federal agency and bureau In my opinion, the property D meets Q does not meet the National Register criteria.
    [Show full text]
  • Sullivan-Type Principles for U.S. Multinationals in Emerging
    "SULLIVAN-TYPE" PRINCIPLES FOR U.S. MULTINATIONALS IN EMERGING ECONOMIES RICHARD T. DE GEORGE* 1. INTRODUCTION The high rate of crime in Russia and the prominence of the Russian Mafia are well known and publicized in the West. President Yeltsin has called crime, which is choking the emerging market economy, Russia's biggest problem.' An article in U.S. News & World Report describes Russia as "a vast bazaar in which the easiest way to get rich is to steal."2 The government has shown itself ineffective in combating crime and in establishing a rule of law. Consequently, many ordinary Russians, who are experiencing a decline in their standard of living,3 are more ambivalent about the march towards capitalism than they were in 1991. Many Western businesses are understandably reluctant to enter an area in which corruption is rampant and the future uncertain. However, the reasons behind the present conditions are too often inadequately understood. As a result, the remedy and the appropriate role of Western companies in the developing market of countries of the former Soviet Union are not clearly * Richard T. De George is University Distinguished Professor of Philosophy, of Russian and East European Studies, and of Business Administration, and Director of the International Center for Ethics in Business at the University of Kansas. His books include The New Marxism; Soviet Ethics and Morality; Business Ethics; and Competing with Integrity in International Business. 1 He has frequently called fighting crime his top priority. See Jack F. Matlock, Russia: The Power of the Mob, NY REVIEW OF BOOKS, July 13, 1995, at 12, 13; see also Julie Corwin et al., The Looting of Russia, U.S.
    [Show full text]
  • Campaigners' Guide to Financial Markets
    The Campaigners’ Guide to Financial Markets THETHE CAMPCAMPAIGNERS’AIGNERS’ GUIDEGUIDE TTOO FINFINANCIALANCIAL MARKETSMARKETS Effff ective Lobbying of Companies and Financial Institutions Nicholas Hildyard Mark Mansley 1 The Campaigners’ Guide to Financial Markets 2 The Campaigners’ Guide to Financial Markets Contents Preface – 7 Acknowledgements – 9 1. FINANCIAL MARKETS - A NEW POLITICAL SPACE – 11 A world transformed – 12 The impacts of globalisation – 14 The growing power of the private sector – 16 The shifting space for change – 17 Lobbying the markets – 18 The power of the market – Markets as “neutral ground” – NGO strengths: market weaknesses – Increasing consumer awareness – Globalisation and increased corporate vulnerability – The rise of ethical shareholding – Changing institutional cultures – New regulatory measures – A willingness to change? The limits of market activism – 33 Is a financial campaign appropriate? – 33 Boxes The increasing economic power of the private sector – 13 What are financial markets? – 14 Changing the framework: From Seattle to Prague – 18 Project finance – 20 Consumer and shareholder activism – 23 A bank besieged: Consumer power against bigotry – 25 Huntingdon Life Sciences: Naming and shaming – 27 First do no harm – 30 The impact of shareholder activism – the US experience (by Michelle Chan-Fishel) – 33 Put your own house in order – 34 Internal review – 33 2. UNDERSTANDING THE MARKETS – PSYCHOLOGY,,, ARGUMENTS AND OPENINGS – 37 Using the mentality of the market to your advantage – 38 Exposing the risks – 39 Key pressure points and how to use them – 41 Management quality – Business strategy – Financial risk: company analysis / project analysis – Non–financial risks – Political risks – Legal risks – Environmental risks – Reputational risks Matching the pressure points to the financial player – 54 Boxes Reading the balance sheet – 40 ABB – Moving out of dams – 43 Three Gorges: Bond issues challenged – 47 3.
    [Show full text]
  • DATA SHEET UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT of the INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER of HISTORIC PLACES Iiilllll INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM
    Form No. 10-300 (Rev. 10-74) DATA SHEET UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES iiilllll INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM SEE INSTRUCTIONS IN HOW TO COMPLETE NATIONAL REGISTER FORMS ___________TYPE ALL ENTRIES -- COMPLETE APPLICABLE SECTIONS______ | NAME HISTORIC AND/OR COMMON // kshworth-Remillard Home LOCATION STREET & NUMBER 755 Story Road —NOT FOR PUBLICATION CITY, TOWN CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT San Jose —.VICINITY OF Tenth Congressional District STATE CODE COUNTY CODE California 06 Santa Clara County 085 HCLASSIFICATION CATEGORY OWNERSHIP STATUS PRESENT USE _ DISTRICT _ PUBLIC .^OCCUPIED _ AGRICULTURE —MUSEUM X.BUILDINGIS) X_PRIVATE —UNOCCUPIED —COMMERCIAL —PARK —STRUCTURE _BOTH —WORK IN PROGRESS —EDUCATIONAL X.PRIVATE RESIDENCE —SITE PUBLIC ACQUISITION ACCESSIBLE —ENTERTAINMENT —RELIGIOUS —OBJECT _IN PROCESS -XYES: RESTRICTED —GOVERNMENT —SCIENTIFIC —BEING CONSIDERED — YES: UNRESTRICTED —INDUSTRIAL —TRANSPORTATION —NO —MILITARY —OTHER: IOWNER OF PROPERTY NAME Cabot. Cabot & Forbes_______ STREET & NUMBER #1 Maritime Plaza CITY, TOWN STATE San Francisco. VICINITY OF [LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION COURTHOUSE. REGISTRY OF DEEDS. ETC Santa Clara Co. Recorders Office, basement of County Courthouse STREET & NUMBER 191 N. 1st Street CITY. TOWN STATE San Jose, California REPRESENTATION IN EXISTING SURVEYS SanDATE Jose Visual~~~~ Inventory of Historic and Archeological Sites Sept. to Dec. 1973_________________ —FEDERAL —STATE -COUNTY -LOCAL DEPOSITORY FOR SURVEY RECORDS (originai) city of San Jose Main Library, Calif. Rm., 180 W. San Carlos St CITY. TOWN ~~~~~~~~~~ STATE ___ San Jose, California DESCRIPTION CONDITION CHECK ONE CHECK ONE —EXCELLENT —.DETERIORATED —UNALTERED X.ORIGINALSITE X-GOOO —RUINS X-ALTERED —MOVED DATE. —FAIR —UNEXPOSED DESCRIBE THE PRESENT AND ORIGINAL (IF KNOWN) PHYSICAL APPEARANCE This 1860s home is basically a Victorian farmhouse.
    [Show full text]
  • A Class of Null Sets Associated with Convex Functions on Banach Spaces
    BULL. AUSTRAL. MATH. SOC. 26E15, 28AO5, 46B20, 46GO5 VOL. 42 (1990) [315-322] A CLASS OF NULL SETS ASSOCIATED WITH CONVEX FUNCTIONS ON BANACH SPACES JOHN RAINWATER A generalisation of the notion of "sets of measure zero" for arbitrary Banach spaces is defined so that continuous convex functions are automatically Gateaux differen- tiable "almost everywhere". It is then shown that this class of sets satisfies all the properties that one expects of sets of measure zero. Moreover (in a certain large class of Banach spaces, at least) nonempty open sets are not of "measure zero". There are several different substitutes for sets of measure zero in infinite dimen- sional spaces (where tr-finite translation invariant measures do not exist); see, for in- stance, [1, 3, 5, 6]. These have all been defined in separable Banach spaces and have generally been motivated by theorems which assert that locally Lipschitzian maps are Gateaux differentiable "almost everywhere", where the latter means "outside of a null set". In what follows we define a new class of null sets in arbitrary Banach spaces, with the motivation being Gateaux differentiability of convex functions. DEFINITIONS: Let / be a real-valued continuous convex function defined on a real Banach space E. We denote by N(f) the set of all points x £ E where / fails to be Gateaux differentiable. That is, for some y € E, the limit (1) [f( + y)f()] fails to exist. By a null set we mean any subset of M[f), for some / as above. This definition changes the focus of attention from functions to sets: rather than attempting to show that convex continuous (hence locally Lipschitzian) functions are Gateaux differentiable almost everywhere (with respect to some given class of null sets), this property is guaranteed by the very definition of "null set".
    [Show full text]
  • Geometrical Implications of Upper Semi-Continuity of the Duality Mapping on a Banach Space
    Pacific Journal of Mathematics GEOMETRICAL IMPLICATIONS OF UPPER SEMI-CONTINUITY OF THE DUALITY MAPPING ON A BANACH SPACE JOHN R. GILES,DAVID ALLAN GREGORY AND BRAILEY SIMS Vol. 79, No. 1 May 1978 PACIFIC JOURNAL OF MATHEMATICS Vol. 79, No. 1, 1978 GEOMETRICAL IMPLICATIONS OF UPPER SEMI-CONTINUITY OF THE DUALITY MAPPING ON A BANACH SPACE J. R. GILES, D. A. GREGORY AND BRAILEY SIMS For the duality mapping on a Banach space the relation between lower semi-continuity and upper semi-continuity properties is explored, upper semi-continuity is characterized in terms of slices of the ball and upper semi-continuity properties are related to geometrical properties which imply that the space is an Asplund space. The duality mapping is a natural set-valued mapping from the unit sphere of a normed linear space into subsets of its dual sphere, and which for an inner product space is the mapping associating an element of the unit sphere with the corresponding continuous linear functional given by the inner product. It is an example of a sub- differential mapping of a continuous convex function (in this case, the norm), which is in turn a special kind of maximal monotone mapping. Cudia [4, p. 298] showed that the duality mapping is always upper semi-continuous when the space has the norm and the dual space has the weak* topology, and Kenderov [10, p. 67] extended this to maximal monotone mappings. Bonsall, Cain, and Schneider [3] used the property to prove the connectedness of the numerical range of an operator on a normed linear space.
    [Show full text]
  • Environmental Protection in the Information Age
    ARTICLES ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION IN THE INFORMATION AGE DANIEL C. ESTy* Information gaps and uncertaintieslie at the heart of many persistentpollution and natural resource management problems. This article develops a taxonomy of these gaps and argues that the emerging technologies of the Information Age will create new gap-filling options and thus expand the range of environmental protection strategies. Remote sensing technologies, modern telecommunications systems, the Internet, and computers all promise to make it much easier to identify harms, track pollution flows and resource consumption, and measure the resulting impacts. These developments will make possible a new structure of institutionalresponses to environmental problems including a more robust market in environmental prop- erty rights, expanded use of economic incentives and market-based regulatorystrat- egies, improved command-and-control regulation, and redefined social norms of environmental stewardship. Likewise, the degree to which policies are designed to promote information generation will determine whether and how quickly new insti- tutional approaches emerge. While some potential downsides to Information Age environmental protection remain, the promise of a more refined, individually tai- lored, and precise approach to pollution control and natural resourcemanagement looks to be significant. INTRODUCTION ................................................. 117 I. DEFINING THE ROLE OF INFORMATION IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL REALM ............................... 121 A. Information
    [Show full text]
  • Gazette 31 Vol 3
    Volume 31 Number 5 2004 283 Editorial 284 President’s column M. Cowling 285 Math matters P. Taylor 288 Mathellaneous N. Do 295 The 8th problem A. Molev 298 The 48th annual meeting of the Australian Mathematical Society 301 Acceptance speech on the award of the George Szekeres medal B. Anderssen 309 Obituary S. Fitzpatrick C. Praeger 311 ICMI Study 16: Challenging mathematics in and beyond the classroom P. Taylor 314 Higher degrees and honours bachelor degrees in mathematics and statistics completed in Australia in 2003 P. Johnston 320 A mathematician goes to hospital T. Mills 328 Wallis sequence estimated through the Euler-Maclarin formula: even from the Wallis product π could be computed fairly accurately V. Lampret 340 More terms of the asymptotic solution of a difference equation consid- ered by Ramanujan H. Prodinger 342 Book reviews 351 News 359 AustMS bulletin board Often, we mathematicians are asked that dreaded question: “What is it you actually do all day?” A few of us are perhaps brave (or is it foolish?) enough to respond with an exposition on elliptic curves, homotopy theory, pde’s or Markov processes, but most of us will give a deep sigh, look sheepish, and begin to stutter “Uhhhhh . , well . , hmmm . , you see . ,” to finally blurt out in what seems like a super-human effort, “It is kind of complicated,” hoping this will satisfy our inquisitor. Perhaps a reasonable response would be to explain that mathematics is much like art or music, with ‘beautiful theorems’, ‘amazing proofs’ and ‘stunning conjectures’, but that unfortunately the wonderland of mathematics can only be fully appreciated by those initiated into the art.
    [Show full text]
  • Restoring Prosperity the State Role in Revitalizing America’S Older Industrial Cities
    The State Role in Revitalizing America’s Older Industrial Cities The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program Restoring Prosperity The State Role in Revitalizing America’s Older Industrial Cities T HE B ROOKINGS I NSTITUTION M ETROPOLITAN P OLICY P ROGRAM © 2007 Acknowledgements The Brookings Institution Metropolitan Policy Program is grateful Johnson (William Penn Foundation); John Weiler (F.B. Heron to the many people who have supported this project with their Foundation); and Hal Wolman (GWIPP). Jeremy Nowak (The expertise, insight, and resources. Reinvestment Fund), Diane Bell-McKoy (Associated Black First and foremost, we would like to thank the Surdna Charities), and Sharmain Matlock-Turner (Greater Philadelphia Foundation for their generous support of this effort. We particu- Urban Affairs Coalition) also provided very helpful advice early on larly want to acknowledge the tireless contributions of Kim in the development of the project and report. Burnett, whose knowledge and enthusiasm have helped this proj- We also want to thank Professor Anne Power and her team at ect grow from a single report to a major organizing and research the London School of Economics (LSE) for stimulating our think- effort. We also want to express our gratitude to the F.B. Heron ing about the revival of industrial cities. This project has benefited Foundation and the William Penn Foundation for providing addi- tremendously from the trans-Atlantic exchange of innovations tional funding for this report, as well as the Fannie Mae and ideas our partnership has fostered. We also thank the HM Foundation, the Ford Foundation, the George Gund Foundation, Treasury and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for support- the Heinz Endowments, the John D.
    [Show full text]