Balancing Nature and Commerce in Gateway Communities

Increasing numbers of Americans are fleeing cities and suburbs for the small towns and open spaces that surround national and state parks, wildlife refuges, historic sites, and other public lands. With their scenic beauty and high quality of life, these "gateway communities" have become a magnet for those looking to escape the congestion and fast tempo of contemporary American society.

Yet without savvy planning, gateway communities could easily meet the same fate as the suburban communities that were the promised land of an earlier generation. This volume can help prevent that from happening.

The authors offer practical and proven lessons on how residents of gateway communities can protect their community's identity while stimulating a healthy economy and safeguarding nearby natural and historic resources. They describe economic development strategies, land-use planning processes, and conservation tools that communities from all over the country have found effective. Each strategy or process is explained with specific examples, and numerous profiles and case studies clearly demonstrate how different communities have coped with the challenges of growth and development. Among the cities profiled are Boulder, Colorado; Townsend and Pittman Center Tennessee; Gettysburg, Pennsylvania; Tyrrell County, North Carolina; Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Sanibel Island, Florida; Calvert County, Maryland; Tuscon, Arizona; and Mount Desert Island, Maine.

Balancing Nature and Commerce in Gateway Communities provides important lessons in how to preserve the character and integrity of communities and landscapes without sacrificing local economic well-being. It is an important resource for planners, developers, local officials, and concerned citizens working to retain the high quality of life and natural beauty of these cities and towns.

Ed McMahon is the Urban Land Institute/Charles Fraser Senior Resident Fellow for Sustainable Development. As the Senior Resident Fellow for Sustainable Development, McMahon’s responsibilities include leading ULI’s efforts to conduct research and educational activities related to green and sustainable development practices.

McMahon, a nationally renowned authority on sustainable development, land conservation and urban design, was formerly the Vice President and Director of land use programs at The Conservation Fund. McMahon is an attorney, community planner, lecturer, author and expert on the topics of sustainable development, land conservation, urban design and historic preservation.

Other recent books include Land Conservation Finance and Better Models for Commercial Development. He has organized successful efforts to acquire and protect urban parkland, wilderness areas and other conservation properties, and he has made numerous presentations on the topics of tourism, conservation, land use planning and historic preservation. McMahon is also the Cofounder and former President of Scenic America, a national non-profit organization devoted to protecting America’s scenic landscapes.

McMahon has an M.A. in Urban Studies from the University of Alabama and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law School, where he taught law and public policy from 1976-1985.
 

Luther Propst co-founded and directs the Sonoran Institute, with offices in Tucson and Phoenix, Arizona; Bozeman and Helena, Montana; Grand Junction, Colorado; Cheyenne, Wyoming; and Mexicali, Mexico. The Sonoran Institute’s mission is to inspire and enable community decisions and public policies that respect the land and people of the West. Under his guidance the Institute has grown to an annual budget of $5.2 million and is now recognized as a leading practitioner of community-based, collaborative, and innovative conservation efforts to integrate conservation and economic values throughout the West. The Sonoran Institute also works throughout the West on policies to improve the management of state trust lands, to better integrate conservation into land development, and to assist cities and counties better manage growth.

 

Previously, Propst practiced law, where he represented landowners, local governments, and organizations nationwide in land-use matters, and with World Wildlife Fund in Washington D.C. Propst received his law degree and master’s in regional planning from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

 

Propst has co-authored three books, and frequently speaks and writes on Western conservation, growth management, economic development, and state trust lands. In addition, he serves on the boards of the National Conservation System Foundation, High Country News, the Murie Center, the Rincon Institute, and the Arizona League of Conservation Voters Education Fund.