Using best available science to protect critical areas in Washington state: challenges and barriers to planners |
| |
Authors: | April Mills Tessa Francis Vivek Shandas Kara Whittaker Jessica K Graybill |
| |
Institution: | (1) Seattle Public Utilities, 700 5th Ave Suite 4900, P.O. Box 34018, Seattle, WA 98124-4018, USA;(2) Department of Biology and Urban Ecology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA;(3) Nohad A. Toulan School of Urban Studies and Planning, Portland State University, Portland, OR, USA;(4) College of Forest Resources and Urban Ecology Program, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA;(5) Department of Geography, Colgate University, Hamilton, NY, USA |
| |
Abstract: | Urban development has profound impacts on ecological patterns and processes making the scientific information required for
developing environmental ordinances central for mitigating these negative ecological impacts. Washington State requires that
planners use the best available science (BAS) to formulate land use ordinances as part of the state’s Growth Management Act
(GMA). We present empirical findings describing challenges to planners in defining “best available science” and using BAS
to create local ordinances that balance development needs with natural resource protection. We interviewed city and county
planners (and their consultants) in western Washington to determine what they find useful about BAS, whether or not BAS is
applicable to their jurisdictions, and what constraints they experience in reviewing and using BAS to create or update their
land use ordinances. Our results suggest that applying the BAS requirement is particularly difficult in urban areas. Specifically,
planners had difficulty applying results from research conducted in systems dissimilar to their urban landscapes. These challenges
to planners were exacerbated by (1) a lack of resources and (2) political tensions among stakeholders with competing values
in urban settings. We conclude with recommendations for improving the consideration of science in statewide land-use planning. |
| |
Keywords: | Best available science Critical areas Planning Policy Urban |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|