#landuse — Public Fediverse posts

"Data centers represent 27% of development sites in the U.S. this year. It’s the second-highest category after apartment buildings..."

Land prices are up 79% from last year.

And "home builders cannot bid in that market, because a builder’s land budget is capped by what home buyers can afford. A data center operator faces no such constraint. The result is ... no homes at all."

#USA #AI #DataCenters #LandUse #housing #farming
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https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/06/ai-data-centers-are-transforming-rural-land-markets-fueling-backlash.html

"Data centers represent 27% of development sites in the U.S. this year. It’s the second-highest category after apartment buildings..."

Land prices are up 79% from last year.

And "home builders cannot bid in that market, because a builder’s land budget is capped by what home buyers can afford. A data center operator faces no such constraint. The result is ... no homes at all."

#USA #AI #DataCenters #LandUse #housing #farming
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https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/06/ai-data-centers-are-transforming-rural-land-markets-fueling-backlash.html

"Data centers represent 27% of development sites in the U.S. this year. It’s the second-highest category after apartment buildings..."

Land prices are up 79% from last year.

And "home builders cannot bid in that market, because a builder’s land budget is capped by what home buyers can afford. A data center operator faces no such constraint. The result is ... no homes at all."

#USA #AI #DataCenters #LandUse #housing #farming
---
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/06/ai-data-centers-are-transforming-rural-land-markets-fueling-backlash.html

"Data centers represent 27% of development sites in the U.S. this year. It’s the second-highest category after apartment buildings..."

Land prices are up 79% from last year.

And "home builders cannot bid in that market, because a builder’s land budget is capped by what home buyers can afford. A data center operator faces no such constraint. The result is ... no homes at all."

#USA #AI #DataCenters #LandUse #housing #farming
---
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/06/ai-data-centers-are-transforming-rural-land-markets-fueling-backlash.html

"Data centers represent 27% of development sites in the U.S. this year. It’s the second-highest category after apartment buildings..."

Land prices are up 79% from last year.

And "home builders cannot bid in that market, because a builder’s land budget is capped by what home buyers can afford. A data center operator faces no such constraint. The result is ... no homes at all."

#USA #AI #DataCenters #LandUse #housing #farming
---
https://www.cnbc.com/2026/09/06/ai-data-centers-are-transforming-rural-land-markets-fueling-backlash.html

The Radiative Effects Of Water Vapour From Terrestrial Evapotranspiration
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https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/adde72 <-- shared paper/letter
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https://zenodo.org/records/15413219 | https://zenodo.org/records/15416936 <-- shared open data, for “Model information and output for "The radiative effects…” ”
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https://doi.org/10.1007/s11269-025-04191-w <-- shared paper
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H/T @jan Umsonst | Earth System Nerd
“Water vapour accounts for roughly 50% of the modern greenhouse effect. Over continental regions, evapotranspiration (ET) is often limited by water availability. In this study, [the authors] spatially quantify how much of the total atmospheric water vapour evaporated most recently from land and calculate the relative contribution of that water vapour to the atmospheric radiative budget. Using a combination of tracer-enabled Earth system model simulations and radiative transfer calculations, [they were] able to explicitly quantify the 3D distribution of terrestrial vs. oceanic water vapour, and the spatial contribution of each to the surface and top of atmosphere radiative budgets. [They found] that over many continental regions, more than half of the total column-integrated water vapour originates from land ET, and that this vapour contributes up to 30 W/m² of longwave radiation into the surface in the annual mean (about 10% of the total). Understanding how terrestrial ET impacts the base-state of water vapour distribution and the water vapour greenhouse effect is critical to understanding how and where changes in terrestrial ET, driven by climate change, land use, etc, will modify the radiative properties of the atmosphere and thus the climate system…”
#water #hydrology #greehouseeffect #highperformancecomputing #HPC #evapotranspiration #Radiative #WaterVapour #spatial #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #atmosphere #model #modeling #earthsystemmodelling #terrestrial #oceanic #vapour #climatechange #landuse #changes #climatesystem

Impact Of Urbanization Driven Land Use And Land Cover Change On Ecological Environmental Quality In Rupandehi Nepal Assessed Using The Remote Sensing Ecological Index
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https://doi.org/10.1007/s44288-026-00650-y <-- shared paper
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https://kathmandupost.com/money/2026/02/18/rupandehi-s-continued-urban-sprawl-comes-at-a-cost-for-agriculture-in-the-periphery <-- shared media article
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H/T@ Gaurav Parajulim
“[The authors] studied how the ecological quality of Nepal's Rupandehi District has changed over three decades (1993–2023), using satellite imagery and the Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) to track the health of the landscape year by year and to understand how urbanization-driven land use change has reshaped it.
What [they] found tells a nuanced story: as Butwal and Bhairahawa grew and built-up land expanded, ecological quality shifted in ways that a single number can't capture, some areas recovered, others declined, and the patterns rarely moved in a straight line…”
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“Rapid urbanization and population growth are major drivers of land use and land cover (LULC) change and can substantially alter ecological environmental quality (EEQ). This study assessed the spatiotemporal dynamics of LULC and their effect on EEQ in Rupandehi District, Nepal, over a 30-year period (1993–2023). Four ecological indicators representing greenness, wetness, dryness, and heat were derived from Landsat imagery in Google Earth Engine (GEE), and LULC was classified using a Support Vector Machine (SVM). The Remote Sensing Ecological Index (RSEI) was then constructed from these indicators using Principal Component Analysis (PCA) in ArcGIS Pro, and its spatial structure was examined using global and local spatial autocorrelation. The mean RSEI followed a non-linear trajectory, rising from 0.59 in 1993 to 0.635 in 2004, declining to 0.55 in 2013, and recovering to 0.67 in 2023, indicating an overall improvement in EEQ with a temporary mid-period decline. Over the same period, built-up areas expanded substantially and agricultural land declined, whereas forest cover fluctuated but showed a slight net increase by 2023, and barren land decreased markedly. Higher EEQ was concentrated in the forested northern hills, while lower values occurred in the urban centers of Butwal and Bhairahawa, closely matching the spatial pattern of LULC change. The results indicate that ecological quality reflects the combined influence of all land cover classes rather than any single class. This study provides a transferable and reproducible workflow for long-term ecological assessment based on openly available Landsat data, with the analysis code shared in a public repository, offering practical guidance for sustainable land management and environmentally responsible urban development...”
#GIS #spatial #mapping #RemoteSensing #GIS #RSEI #EnvironmentalMonitoring #Nepal #Research #GoogleEarthEngine #ArcGIS #EcologicalQuality #spatialautocorrelation #ecology #environment #earthobservation #RemoteSensingEcologicalIndex #landscape #urbanisation #urban #development #landuse #change #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal

Busy Beavers - The Turbidity Signature Of Ecosystem Engineers At Work
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https://doi.org/10.1002/hyp.70661 <-- shared paper
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H/T @alan Puttock
“Beavers are the quintessential ecosystem engineers. In slow-flowing streams, they create complex wetlands with ponds by building dams and canals that can positively impact biodiversity, hydrology and water quality. These activities can interchangeably capture or release sediment along the watercourse. To date this has not been quantified at the resolution of rainfall events or beaver activity. This study used 15-min frequency, sustained monitoring upstream and downstream of a newly establishing beaver wetland to measure episodic changes in water turbidity at an event resolution. Monitoring showed no significant differences between upstream and downstream turbidity over 160 days when the first pair of beavers, known not to be building dams or canals, were resident. Shortly after introduction of another beaver pair, however, dam building, burrows and canal excavations were quickly observed, resulting in the creation of a complex beaver wetland between 2021 and 2024. Monitoring over 375 days during this period showed significant differences. Downstream turbidity was significantly higher overall than upstream: 13.1 Nephelometric Turbidity Units (NTU) compared to 4.2 NTU. Stochastic spikes in downstream turbidity during the study period not recorded upstream were associated with dam building and burrowing. Overall, there was no significant difference in turbidity loads, which was at least partially explained by a reduction in discharge downstream, particularly in higher flows, during the dam building period. This demonstrates a complex system with the trapping of influent sediment, the storing of water and the periodic release of beaver wetland sediment leading to net balance in loads. These results help provide context for other studies which have used temporally discrete sampling campaigns rather than continuous high-frequency monitoring. They provide a unique insight into the downstream impacts of a rapidly developing beaver wetland over its first three and a half years in a landscape that hasn't had beavers for over 400 years…"
#hydromorphic #water #hydrology #dam #beaverdam #waterquality #biodiversity #ecology #benefits #NatureBasedSolutions #Wetlands #Ecology #Biodiversity #EnvironmentalScience #Wildlife #Ecosystem #bioviversity #conservation #restoration #landscaperecovery #floodmanagement #FloodMitigation #flooding #energy #floodrisk #sustainability #wetlands #hydrography #dams #impoundment #deadwood #waterresources #landscapeengineer #benefits #vegetation #ecology #ecosystem #riversystemsstabilisation #naturalwaterregulation #resilience #valleysreborn #fisheries #invertebrates #extremeweather #floodflows #sediment #baseflow #drought #landmanagement #naturalsystems #landuse #monitoring #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal

On The Use Of Rainfall Time Series For Regional Landslide Prediction By Means Of Functional Regression
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.enggeo.2026.108860 <-- shared paper
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#rainfallinduced #landslide #Functionalregression #Japan #Earlywarningsystem #Spacetimeprediction #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #massmovement #engineeringgeology #geomorphology #hydrogeomorphology #geomorphometry #remotesensing #geostatistics #model #modeling #mechanics #rainfall #threshold #precipitation #water #hydrology #risk #hazard #hazardassessment #terrain #landscape #landform #landuse #geology #soil #lithology #functionalGeneralizedAdditiveModel #FGAM #prediction #casestudy #AI #LLM

The #EnvironmentalCost of #ArtificialIntelligence: #Carbon, #Water, and #LandFootprints

#AI’s rapid growth drives huge energy, water, and land use, raising environmental and equity challenges across its global infrastructure.

Date Published 3 Jun 2026

UNU-INWEH Report: Aczel, M., Chamanara, S., Matin, M., Farsi, A., Marwala, T., Madani, K. (2026).

"This report, Environmental Cost of Artificial Intelligence: Carbon, Water and Land Footprints, by the #UnitedNationsUniversity Institute for Water, Environment and Health ( #UNU - #INWEH ) on its 30th anniversary, examines one of the most underexplored consequences of AI’s rapid expansion: the environmental footprints of the energy required to power it. As artificial intelligence becomes embedded in economies, public services, research, communication, and everyday life, it depends on a growing physical infrastructure of #datacenters, advanced #chips, #CoolingSystems, #ElectricityGrids, #WaterResources, land, and #CriticalMineral supply chains. The report shows that AI is not only a digital technology, but also a material system with measurable #EnvironmentalCosts.

"The report moves beyond a carbon-only lens by quantifying the carbon, water, and land footprints associated with the electricity used to train, deploy, and operate AI systems at scale. Its central finding is that AI’s environmental costs depend not only on how much electricity is used, but also on where that electricity is generated and which energy sources power it. Every kilowatt-hour used by AI carries carbon, water, and land implications, and these footprints do not always move in the same direction: low-carbon electricity is not automatically low-water or low-land. The report also shows that AI’s footprint is shaped by both major infrastructure trends, including the rapid growth of data centers, and everyday use patterns, including model choice, output length, modality, and the growing use of text, image, and video generation.

"Importantly, the report frames AI’s environmental footprint as a governance and justice challenge, not only a technical problem. The benefits of AI often flow across borders and sectors, while the environmental burdens of data center siting, electricity demand, water withdrawals, #LandUse, MineralExtraction, and #EWaste can be concentrated in specific communities and regions. To address these risks, the report calls for a responsible AI ecosystem grounded in transparency, efficiency by design, equity and #EnvironmentalJustice, lifecycle responsibility, global cooperation, and sustainable use. By making AI’s carbon, water, and land footprints visible and comparable, the report provides a practical basis for integrating AI into energy, climate, water, and land-use planning, ensuring that innovation advances without shifting environmental costs onto vulnerable communities."

Download PDF:
https://unu.edu/inweh/collection/environmental-cost-of-AIs-Enrgy-Use-Carbon-water-and-land-footprints

#AIBoom #Electricity #Hyperscale #BigTech #BigData #CarbonFootprint #EnvironmentalRacism #EnvironmentalDegradation #NoisePollution #LightPollution #WaterIsLife #AIAgents #BotTraffic #GreenSpaces #Farmland #Prairies #Woodland #TechGiants #ProtectNature #NoDatacenters #EnergyConsumption #USPol #WorldPol #Datacentres
#DatacenterMoratoriums

Erin Brockovich Asks Americans For Help As She Launches Data Center Map
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https://www.newsweek.com/erin-brockovich-asks-americans-for-help-as-she-launches-data-center-map-11989813 <-- shared media article
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https://brockovichdatacenter.com/ <-- shared Brockovich AI Data Center Reporting web site
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https://youtu.be/fp5ozQraKf4?si=7qu3g77iVVD3GGFJ <-- shared media video, @cbs Sunday Morning, “Nationwide boom in AI data centers stirs resistance”
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #USA #nation #AI #datacenters #waterresources #utilities #energyconsumption #water #hydrology #hydrography #watermanagement #community #humanimpacts #costs #economics #ewaste #noise #risk #hazard #electricity #localcommunities #taxbreaks #cooling #energy #highenergyusage #infrastructure #landuse #environment #ecology #public #skepticism #environmentalimpact #scalability #growth #Virginia #Utah #Texas #Ohio #Arizona #Georgia
#ErinBrockovichFoundation #ErinBrockovich

Carving out 12 million cubic yards of rock for a toll road eyesore?

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission wants to eliminate the Allegheny Tunnels along the Pennsylvania Turnpike (Interstates 70/76) through Allegheny Mountain in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. The tunnels would be replaced with a massive road cut (a.k.a. ‘the Gray Cut’) that would be 250 feet deep, 1,000 feet wide and would require the excavation of 12 million cubic yards of earth and rock. That is not an engineering accomplishment, that’s a plan for a future eyesore.

A recent calculation (confirmed by using Google’s gemini.ai) has shown that 12 million cubic yards of rock would fill an entire football field to the height of a bit more than 5,600 feet…more than a mile high and nearly four Empire State Buildings tall. It would also be the tallest mountain/structure in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Even a natural conical pile of this material would be approximately 1,100 feet high. Where exactly does the Turnpike Commission plan to dump all this material?

Reasons cited for the proposed Gray Cut

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission has noted that the cost of upgrading the tunnels would be approximately double that of the Gray Cut. They indicate it is also needed due to anticipated future traffic, improved safety (particularly related to accidents within the tunnels), maintenance costs for the tunnels, and the current need for hazardous cargo loads to bypass the tunnels. According to the turnpike’s website, the preliminary design phase is currently ongoing and is expected to be completed in 2028. If approved for construction, actual work would begin in 2033.

In regards to the cost comparison between the cut and tunnel improvements/upgrades, what never seems to be included in the calculations are the intangible benefits associated with the scenery, wildlife, ecosystems, water resources, culture, history, and lifestyles that would negatively impacted by this project.

“Look Doris, someday you’re going to find that your way of facing this realistic world just doesn’t work. And when you do, don’t overlook those lovely intangibles. You’ll discover they’re the only things that are worthwhile.”

– Fred from Miracle on 34th Street per imdb.com

In addition, many other tunnels across the nation ban hazardous materials. Exactly why is this being used as a reason to build this project here? Maybe manufacturers should be transporting such dangerous stuff on trains instead of trucks on highways? Or perhaps, it should just be an accepted cost of doing business.

Lastly, “anticipated future traffic” can be a tricky calculation. All too often, past data is used to guesstimate futures trends. In reality, unforeseen events can alter those calculations. Unforeseen events like gas prices now hovering around $4.50+ per gallon, with diesel prices running even higher. There are a litany of other things that could change the traffic dynamics – migration patterns, birthrates, car ownership rates, inflation, cyclical economic changes, war, and climate change to name a few.

If this project is being proposed just so the PA Turnpike can better compete with I-80 to the north and I-68 to the south, then that is a very poor reason to cause the extent of anticipated negative impacts listed below. It should be noted that neither I-80 nor I-68 have tunnels nor tolls. The Sideling Hill Cut west of Hancock, Maryland on I-68 is 340 feet deep and 720 feet wide. The much ballyhooed geological display at the site was closed 18 years after completion due to budget cuts. – en.wikipedia.org and mgs.md.gov

In addition, rockfall fencing needed to be added along both sides of the highway in the Sideling Hill Cut in 2023.

Anticipated negative impacts

Not only would such a massive trench leave a permanent disfiguring scar across this scenic mountainous landscape, but it would also have the following negative impacts, as noted by Citizens to Save Allegheny Mountain:

“The proposed Gray Cut would destroy critical wildlife habitats, disrupt migration patterns, and endanger species that rely on the unspoiled wilderness of the Allegheny Mountain.”

“The natural springs and deep wells that provide clean water to nearby communities and are at risk of being polluted or permanently altered by the construction.”

“The project will lead to the removal of forest stand and the displacement of massive amounts of soil and sediment that can never be reestablished or replaced.”

“This irreversible destruction…will also reduce recreational opportunities and threaten traditions such as hunting and fishing opportunities, which are vital to the region’s outdoor lifestyle.”

“The proposed construction will fragment these habitats, making it difficult for wildlife to find food, shelter, and mates.”

“The Gray Cut project jeopardizes these efforts [previous and current restoration efforts along the Stonycreek River Watershed].

“Beyond the Stonycreek River, other neighboring watersheds, including the Raystown Branch of the Juniata River and the Indian Lake Watersheds, are also at risk due to the Allegheny Mountain Tunnel’s unique location at a triple watershed divide.”

“Construction activities associated with the turnpike expansion will significantly increase the risk of soil erosion and sedimentation in nearby streams and rivers.”

“The increased runoff from paved surfaces carries pollutants such as oil, heavy metals, and other toxic substances into water bodies, further impacting the health of our waterways within the Stonycreek River watershed.”

“The noise, dust, and heavy machinery involved in this large-scale construction project would disrupt the lives of local residents and visitors who cherish the peace and quiet of the mountain.”

“The project will disrupt local communities by affecting the water supply for residents who rely on wells and natural springs. The potential contamination of these water sources poses serious health risks, particularly for those who rely on them for daily use.”

“The long-term environmental and social costs far outweigh any short-term economic gains.”

Other impacts not mentioned by Citizen to Save the Allegheny Mountain on their website, include, but are not limited to:

• Increased risk of animal vehicle collisions with the loss of the mountain’s natural wildlife crossing over the turnpike. This may lead to the future need of constructing a new wildlife crossing.

• “Drivers on the proposed highway would lose the tunnel’s protection from the worst of the weather near the turnpike’s highest point, 2,600 feet above sea level, where fog, icing and high winds are frequent hazards.” – penncapital-star.com

• The potential for microclimate changes in weather patterns as a result of the cut. According to google.gemini.ai, these could include: wind-channeling through the cut; alteration to the rain shadow on the east side of the mountain; creation of a cold air sink at the bottom of the cut increasing the likelihood of fog and frost; and disruption to wind patterns along the mountainside.

• The loss of the historic highway tunnels, first built in 1940 and expanded in 1965.

Steps one can take

If you feel this proposed project should go back to the drawing board, consider other alternatives, or be scrapped for upgrading the tunnels, please consider contacting Citizens to Save the Allegheny Mountain through the following links:

• https://savealleghenymountain.com

• https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565316543351

The organization’s website includes a petition one can sign along with space to provide comments.

Peace!

Detecting Land Use And Land Cover Changes And Quantifying Soil Erosion And Sediment Export Using GIS And Remote Sensing In The GERD Catchment, Ethiopia
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iswcr.2026.100657 <-- shared paper
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https://infonile.org/en/2023/05/battling-for-survival-along-the-warming-source-of-the-blue-nile/ <-- shared technical media article
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https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-65241-7_4 <-- shared technical book chapter
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https://doi.org/10.3390/rs8121020 <-- shared 2016 paper
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#landuse #landcover #RUSLE #model #soil #erosion #sedimentation #GERD #catchment #NorthAfrica #Ethiopia #AbbayBasin #sustainability #landmanagement #agriculture #farmland #foodsecurity #water #hydrogology #reservior #watermanagement #watersecurity #waterresources #catchment #GrandEthiopianRenaissanceDam #BlueNile #hydrography #impoundment #GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #earthobservation #thematic #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #landsat #elevation #DEM #CHIRPS #rainfall #precipitation #LULC #AI #forest #grazing #grassland #field #crops #cropland #waterbodies #urban #biophysical #risk #hazard #mitigation #soilquality

Remote Sensing And Process Attribution Uncertainties In The Dharali Event [Himalayas, India]
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s44304-026-00211-w <-- shared paper review
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https://doi.org/10.1038/s44304-026-00191-x <-- shared paper that was reviewed
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https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nhres.2025.11.001 <-- related shared paper
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#Dharali #disaster #BhagirathiBasin #India #NorthernIndia #Himalayas #GIS #spatial #mapping #remotesensing #satellite #imagery #earthobservation #trigger #risk #hazard #damage #infrastructure #mountain #geomorphology #glacier #glacial #debrisflow #publicsafety #landuse #paraglacial #rainfall #precipitation #extremeweather #massmovement #landslide #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #Bhagirathi #River #water #hydrology #icepatchcollapse

A Pagan Case Against Lawns: Rethinking the Tyranny of Turf

https://pagangrove.wordpress.com/2026/04/09/a-pagan-case-against-lawns-rethinking-the-tyranny-of-turf/

State of Public Outdoor Access Report 2026 [New Zealand]
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https://www.herengaanuku.govt.nz/our-work/publications/state-of-public-access <-- shared report
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"This inaugural State of Public Outdoor Access Report, which provides a comprehensive snapshot of public access to the outdoors across Aotearoa..."
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#spatial #mapping #pocketmaps #app #parcels #catalogue #easement #comprise #cadastre #outdooraccess #PublicLand #PrivateLand #accomodation #NewZealand #recreation #landuse #landtypes #outdoorspaces #access #legislation #framework #reserves #authority #paperroads #cycleways #bicycle #hunting #fishing #coast #coastal #mountains #commission #reporting #government #tangatawhenua #indigenous #firstnation #maori #localcouncils #communitygroups #landowners #publicaccess #education #environment #restoration #support #respect #landrights #walkways #tramping #trails #hiking #camping #services #land
@HerengaāNukuAotearoa | #HerengaāNukuAotearoa | #OutdoorAccessCommission

Provisional Land Use Data From Water Year 2024 Is Now Available On [CA]DWR Atlas, CNRA Open Data, And SGMA Data Viewer For Public Use
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https://gis.water.ca.gov/app/CADWRLandUseViewer/?page=home <-- shared web-based CDWR datasets / map
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“The collected data is used by various federal, state, and local agencies, academic researchers and private consultants , and can help estimate the amount of water available for agriculture. Using this information, farmers can adapt and make decisions to better manage scarce water supplies more effectively.”
#GIS #spatial #mapping #California #download #opendata #water #hydrology #datause #datasharing #download #landuse #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #wateryear #DWRAtlas #statewide #CNRA #SGMA #publicdata #publicgood #usecase #crops #croplands #cropmapping #counties #countysurvey #CADWR #DWR #groundwater #irrigation #wateruse #watermanagement #federal #state #local #webmapping #agriculture #watersecurity #foodsecurity #watersupply
#CaliforniaDepartmentOfWaterResources

My pick for “Best Planning Book” published in 2025

Now and then one comes across a book that sets new standards for excellence in print. It may be due to its content, the context, the impact of the publication on society, or a defining aspect of the book that sets it apart from others. In this particular case, Chicago Homes: A Portrait of the City’s Everyday Architecture solidly achieves at least three of the aforementioned pinnacles, with its rich and defining illustrations being beyond exemplary.

Chicago Homes by Carla Bruni and Phil Thompson succeeds in telling the history of one of America’s greatest and most-beloved cities through its housing heritage — specifically the styles and trends in housing that shaped Chicago’s residential development from a lonely outpost at the forks of the Chicago River through World War II. This contextual relationship between Chicago’s housing biography and the city’s overall urban history is tremendously informative and is filled with many interesting tidbits and anecdotes.

Too often as planners, we get tied up in the scale of scope of large projects, whether they be towering skyscrapers, enormous transportation projects, placid and serene parks, or large commercial and industrial developments. Meanwhile, it is the individual house, the home, a dwelling unit, or an apartment that in unison form the largest proportion of the communities we serve. As a result, it is their relationship to the overall city that can largely shape one’s sense of place.

” Chicago was built on change. we’re still culturally the same old city, and our homes are still extensions of who were are, individually and collectively. Architecture is politics. Architecture is whimsy. Architecture is people.”

Source: “Chicago Homes,” page 298.

The icing on the cake to Chicago Homes is the stunningly detailed and gorgeous illustrations provided throughout the book showing the progression of architectural trends, styles, and decorative features that developed over time for residential dwellings throughout the city. The amazing illustrations prepared by Mr. Thompson’s Wonder City Studio alone could be framed and sold in galleries across the country they are so beautiful.

As the book addresses Chicago’s housing history up to and including World War II, more recent trends (both good and bad) are not incorporated in the book except with brief references in the epilogue and elsewhere. This aspect in no way detracts from the book and would make for a fascinating sequel publication in the future.

This retired planner strongly recommends this book, and not only to existing, former, or wannabe Chicagoans and architecture geeks. For Chicago Homes transcends both geography and genre in a manner that should captivate most any reader with its fascinating content, its broadly appealing context, and its truly defining illustrations.

Peace!

#apartments #art #CarlaBruni #Chicago #ChicagoHomes #cities #dwellings #geography #historicPreservation #history #homes #housing #illustrations #landUse #neighborhoods #PhilThompson #planning #residences #travel #WonderCityStudio

Thirty Years Of The U.S. National Land Cover Database [NLCD] - Impacts And Future Direction
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https://doi.org/10.14358/PERS.25-00121R2 <-- shared paper
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https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eros/science/annual-national-land-cover-database <-- shared #USGS Annual National Land Cover Database (open data)
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https://www.usgs.gov/centers/eros/science/annual-national-land-cover-database <-- get the open NLCD data
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #history #continuity #improvement #LandCover #Landuse #change #Landsat #NLCD #NationalLandCoverDatabase #earthobservation #remotesensing #landchange #monitoring #fedscience #publicgood #fedopendata #opendata #history #fedservice #MRLCC #USA #download #impervious #surface #forestcanopy #mosaics #accuracy #deeplearning #AI #research #landmanagement #agriculture #water #hydrology #cropland #biodiversity #conservation #urban #planning #publichealth #naturalhazard #assesment #risk #hazard #mitigation #national #nation #multiple #usecase
#USGS | #EROS

Systemic Drivers of Electric-Grid-Caused Catastrophic Wildfires - Implications for Resilience in the United States
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https://doi.org/10.3390/challe16010013 <-- shared paper
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#wildfire #electricgrid #ignitioncauses #wildfireprevention #mapping #spatial #spatialanalysis #risk #hazard #fire #wildfire #climatechange #Anthropocene #humanimpacts #infrastructure #massmovement #debrisflow #engineeringgeology #denudation #environment #ecosystems #ecology #loss #cost #economics #residential #waterquality #water #hydrology #electricty #energy #LahainaFire #CampFire #MarshallFire #SmokehouseCreek #fires #bushfire #vegetation #wind #weather #landuse #humanimpacts #utilitycompanies #utilities #resiliency

A Methodology For The Multitemporal Analysis Of Land Cover Changes And Urban Expansion Using Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) Imagery - A Case Study Of The Aburrá Valley In Colombia
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https://doi.org/10.3390/rs17030554 <-- shared paper
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#GIS #spatial #mapping #SyntheticApertureRadar #SAR #remotesensing #multitemporalanalysis #landcover #landcoverchange #clustering #kurtosis #fuzzylogic #kernelbasedmethod #machinelearning #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #geostatistics #model #modeling #AburráValley #Columbia #urban #urbanexpansion #population #growth #topography #monitoring #satellite #sentinel #valley #landuse #distribution #infrastructure #building #roads #naturalresources #environmental #conservation #monitoring #multitemporal

An Interagency Perspective On Improving Consistency And Transparency Of Land Use And Land Cover Mapping
--
https://doi.org/10.3133/cir1549 <-- shared USGS publication
--
#GIS #spatial #mapping #USA #nation #national #landcover #landuse #interagency #coast #coastal #change #remotesensing #satellite #risk #hazard #management #opendata #resources #vegetation #forest #agriculture #planning #climatechange #MRLCC #landchange #conservation #ecosystems #usecase #urbanplanning #water #watersecurity #foodsecurity #spatialanalysis #spatiotemporal #MultiResolutionLandCharacteristicsConsortium #federal #report
@USGS | @BLM | @USFS | @USFWS | @NOAA | @USDA

Where do we go from here?

Unlike the Cowichan River, the #Koksilah is an uncontrolled #river with no storage and as such, there are limited options available to manage flows. The only options available to us are to change our current practices around #LandUse and #WaterUse. Most importantly, the #KoksilahRiver is challenging all of us to work together to collaboratively identify and implement solutions that will impact us all. New collaborations and partnerships are emerging.

An informal “Koksilah #DroughtManagement team” has been formed to discuss how to collaboratively make short term in-season decisions and work with water users to navigate periods of low flow. This ad-hoc group is comprised of representatives from #FLNRORD, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Cowichan Station’s Koksilah Working Group, BC Dairy Association, BC Agriculture Council, Cowichan Watershed Board, Farmland Advantage, Water Survey of Canada, Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre and private forestry representatives.

In the longer term, an innovative government to government partnership has been struck between Cowichan Tribes and the FNLRORD to explore and scope the feasibility of initiating a joint #WaterSustainability Planning process, an innovative new tool under #BCWaterSustainabilityAct (2016).

For more information about the potential of Water Sustainability Plans, see Curran, D. and O.M. Brandes. 2019 Water Sustainability Plans: Potential, Options and Essential Content (2019) by Deborah Curran and Oliver M. Brandes, University of Victoria Environmental Law Centre and the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance.

https://poliswaterproject.org/polis-research-publication/water-sustainability-plans/

"As one element in the modernized provincial water regime, Water Sustainability Plans are a promising tool that can enable and enhance adaptive water management and new governance relationships that express core elements of government-to-government relationships for water and watersheds, as well as address the challenges of environmental flows, sustainable groundwater management, drought planning and protecting and enhancing watershed health."

Deborah Curran & Oliver M. Brandes
Water Sustainability Plans: Potential, Options and Essential Content (2019)

#BackroadAdventures #VancouverIsland #water #river #Shawnigan #DayAdventure #DayTrip #PacificNorthwest #ProtectWatersheds #nature #VanIsle #Cascadia #PNW #NaturesPower #WaterIsLife #ProtectWatersheds #ProtectNature #Hydro #RiversOfBC #RiversOfVancouverIsland #Indigenous #FirstNations #Historical #Cowichan #WaterFlow #RiverFlows #HydrologyManagement

Where do we go from here?

Unlike the Cowichan River, the #Koksilah is an uncontrolled #river with no storage and as such, there are limited options available to manage flows. The only options available to us are to change our current practices around #LandUse and #WaterUse. Most importantly, the #KoksilahRiver is challenging all of us to work together to collaboratively identify and implement solutions that will impact us all. New collaborations and partnerships are emerging.

An informal “Koksilah #DroughtManagement team” has been formed to discuss how to collaboratively make short term in-season decisions and work with water users to navigate periods of low flow. This ad-hoc group is comprised of representatives from #FLNRORD, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Cowichan Station’s Koksilah Working Group, BC Dairy Association, BC Agriculture Council, Cowichan Watershed Board, Farmland Advantage, Water Survey of Canada, Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre and private forestry representatives.

In the longer term, an innovative government to government partnership has been struck between Cowichan Tribes and the FNLRORD to explore and scope the feasibility of initiating a joint #WaterSustainability Planning process, an innovative new tool under #BCWaterSustainabilityAct (2016).

For more information about the potential of Water Sustainability Plans, see Curran, D. and O.M. Brandes. 2019 Water Sustainability Plans: Potential, Options and Essential Content (2019) by Deborah Curran and Oliver M. Brandes, University of Victoria Environmental Law Centre and the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance.

https://poliswaterproject.org/polis-research-publication/water-sustainability-plans/

"As one element in the modernized provincial water regime, Water Sustainability Plans are a promising tool that can enable and enhance adaptive water management and new governance relationships that express core elements of government-to-government relationships for water and watersheds, as well as address the challenges of environmental flows, sustainable groundwater management, drought planning and protecting and enhancing watershed health."

Deborah Curran & Oliver M. Brandes
Water Sustainability Plans: Potential, Options and Essential Content (2019)

#BackroadAdventures #VancouverIsland #water #river #Shawnigan #DayAdventure #DayTrip #PacificNorthwest #ProtectWatersheds #nature #VanIsle #Cascadia #PNW #NaturesPower #WaterIsLife #ProtectWatersheds #ProtectNature #Hydro #RiversOfBC #RiversOfVancouverIsland #Indigenous #FirstNations #Historical #Cowichan #WaterFlow #RiverFlows #HydrologyManagement

Where do we go from here?

Unlike the Cowichan River, the #Koksilah is an uncontrolled #river with no storage and as such, there are limited options available to manage flows. The only options available to us are to change our current practices around #LandUse and #WaterUse. Most importantly, the #KoksilahRiver is challenging all of us to work together to collaboratively identify and implement solutions that will impact us all. New collaborations and partnerships are emerging.

An informal “Koksilah #DroughtManagement team” has been formed to discuss how to collaboratively make short term in-season decisions and work with water users to navigate periods of low flow. This ad-hoc group is comprised of representatives from #FLNRORD, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Cowichan Station’s Koksilah Working Group, BC Dairy Association, BC Agriculture Council, Cowichan Watershed Board, Farmland Advantage, Water Survey of Canada, Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre and private forestry representatives.

In the longer term, an innovative government to government partnership has been struck between Cowichan Tribes and the FNLRORD to explore and scope the feasibility of initiating a joint #WaterSustainability Planning process, an innovative new tool under #BCWaterSustainabilityAct (2016).

For more information about the potential of Water Sustainability Plans, see Curran, D. and O.M. Brandes. 2019 Water Sustainability Plans: Potential, Options and Essential Content (2019) by Deborah Curran and Oliver M. Brandes, University of Victoria Environmental Law Centre and the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance.

https://poliswaterproject.org/polis-research-publication/water-sustainability-plans/

"As one element in the modernized provincial water regime, Water Sustainability Plans are a promising tool that can enable and enhance adaptive water management and new governance relationships that express core elements of government-to-government relationships for water and watersheds, as well as address the challenges of environmental flows, sustainable groundwater management, drought planning and protecting and enhancing watershed health."

Deborah Curran & Oliver M. Brandes
Water Sustainability Plans: Potential, Options and Essential Content (2019)

#BackroadAdventures #VancouverIsland #water #river #Shawnigan #DayAdventure #DayTrip #PacificNorthwest #ProtectWatersheds #nature #VanIsle #Cascadia #PNW #NaturesPower #WaterIsLife #ProtectWatersheds #ProtectNature #Hydro #RiversOfBC #RiversOfVancouverIsland #Indigenous #FirstNations #Historical #Cowichan #WaterFlow #RiverFlows #HydrologyManagement

Where do we go from here?

Unlike the Cowichan River, the #Koksilah is an uncontrolled #river with no storage and as such, there are limited options available to manage flows. The only options available to us are to change our current practices around #LandUse and #WaterUse. Most importantly, the #KoksilahRiver is challenging all of us to work together to collaboratively identify and implement solutions that will impact us all. New collaborations and partnerships are emerging.

An informal “Koksilah #DroughtManagement team” has been formed to discuss how to collaboratively make short term in-season decisions and work with water users to navigate periods of low flow. This ad-hoc group is comprised of representatives from #FLNRORD, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Cowichan Station’s Koksilah Working Group, BC Dairy Association, BC Agriculture Council, Cowichan Watershed Board, Farmland Advantage, Water Survey of Canada, Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre and private forestry representatives.

In the longer term, an innovative government to government partnership has been struck between Cowichan Tribes and the FNLRORD to explore and scope the feasibility of initiating a joint #WaterSustainability Planning process, an innovative new tool under #BCWaterSustainabilityAct (2016).

For more information about the potential of Water Sustainability Plans, see Curran, D. and O.M. Brandes. 2019 Water Sustainability Plans: Potential, Options and Essential Content (2019) by Deborah Curran and Oliver M. Brandes, University of Victoria Environmental Law Centre and the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance.

https://poliswaterproject.org/polis-research-publication/water-sustainability-plans/

"As one element in the modernized provincial water regime, Water Sustainability Plans are a promising tool that can enable and enhance adaptive water management and new governance relationships that express core elements of government-to-government relationships for water and watersheds, as well as address the challenges of environmental flows, sustainable groundwater management, drought planning and protecting and enhancing watershed health."

Deborah Curran & Oliver M. Brandes
Water Sustainability Plans: Potential, Options and Essential Content (2019)

#BackroadAdventures #VancouverIsland #water #river #Shawnigan #DayAdventure #DayTrip #PacificNorthwest #ProtectWatersheds #nature #VanIsle #Cascadia #PNW #NaturesPower #WaterIsLife #ProtectWatersheds #ProtectNature #Hydro #RiversOfBC #RiversOfVancouverIsland #Indigenous #FirstNations #Historical #Cowichan #WaterFlow #RiverFlows #HydrologyManagement

Where do we go from here?

Unlike the Cowichan River, the #Koksilah is an uncontrolled #river with no storage and as such, there are limited options available to manage flows. The only options available to us are to change our current practices around #LandUse and #WaterUse. Most importantly, the #KoksilahRiver is challenging all of us to work together to collaboratively identify and implement solutions that will impact us all. New collaborations and partnerships are emerging.

An informal “Koksilah #DroughtManagement team” has been formed to discuss how to collaboratively make short term in-season decisions and work with water users to navigate periods of low flow. This ad-hoc group is comprised of representatives from #FLNRORD, Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries, Cowichan Station’s Koksilah Working Group, BC Dairy Association, BC Agriculture Council, Cowichan Watershed Board, Farmland Advantage, Water Survey of Canada, Cowichan Estuary Nature Centre and private forestry representatives.

In the longer term, an innovative government to government partnership has been struck between Cowichan Tribes and the FNLRORD to explore and scope the feasibility of initiating a joint #WaterSustainability Planning process, an innovative new tool under #BCWaterSustainabilityAct (2016).

For more information about the potential of Water Sustainability Plans, see Curran, D. and O.M. Brandes. 2019 Water Sustainability Plans: Potential, Options and Essential Content (2019) by Deborah Curran and Oliver M. Brandes, University of Victoria Environmental Law Centre and the POLIS Project on Ecological Governance.

https://poliswaterproject.org/polis-research-publication/water-sustainability-plans/

"As one element in the modernized provincial water regime, Water Sustainability Plans are a promising tool that can enable and enhance adaptive water management and new governance relationships that express core elements of government-to-government relationships for water and watersheds, as well as address the challenges of environmental flows, sustainable groundwater management, drought planning and protecting and enhancing watershed health."

Deborah Curran & Oliver M. Brandes
Water Sustainability Plans: Potential, Options and Essential Content (2019)

#BackroadAdventures #VancouverIsland #water #river #Shawnigan #DayAdventure #DayTrip #PacificNorthwest #ProtectWatersheds #nature #VanIsle #Cascadia #PNW #NaturesPower #WaterIsLife #ProtectWatersheds #ProtectNature #Hydro #RiversOfBC #RiversOfVancouverIsland #Indigenous #FirstNations #Historical #Cowichan #WaterFlow #RiverFlows #HydrologyManagement

The following list identifies the longest escarpments on the planet. Escarpments are defined as follows:

Escarpment: “A steep slope or long cliff that results from erosion or faulting and separates two relatively level areas of differing elevations.”

Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition

If you have ever driven along the Ohio Turnpike near Cleveland, you have gone up/down the Portage Escarpment. Similarly, between Toronto and London Ontario, one would have to cross the Niagara Escarpment. In fact, Niagara Falls, on the New York/Ontario border, are literally a part of the Niagara Escarpment. The falls are where the elevation drops dramatically between Lake Erie (571 feet above sea level) on the upper side and Lake Ontario (243 feet above sea level) on the lower side of the escarpment. The Welland Canal was specifically built to bypass the falls and cross the escarpment.

Similar examples of lengthy escarpments can be found worldwide on every continent including Antarctica. And the steepness/sheerness of them can vary too, as the Cody Scarp in northern Florida is comparatively quite mild. However, most escarpments are quite bold, rapidly rising to elevations well above the surrounding terrain. The sharp change can often be measured in hundreds or thousands of feet.

In several cases, hiking trails or scenic byways have been developed along or near the rim of these magnificent natural features, providing amazing visiting fr those trekking them. Blue Ridge Parkway, Mogollon Rim Road and Skyline Drive are examples of scenic byways while the Knobstone Trail in Indiana and the developing Mogollon Rim Trail in Arizona are hiking routes.

For proposes of this post a minimum length of 10 miles was required and escarpments which are primarily situated underwater (ocean/sea/lake, etc.) are not included. Those shown in italics the author has seen or traveled across. Peace!

1. Great Escarpment of Southern Africa = 3,107 miles/5,000 km

2. Great Escarpment (Oceania) = 2,200 miles/3,600 km

3. Grande Escarpa do Brasil (South America) = 1,600 miles/2,600 km

4. Niagara Escarpment (North America) = 1,000 miles/1609 km

5. Atlantic Seaboard Fall Line (North America) = 900 miles/1,400 km

6. Portage Escarpment (North America) ~ 653 miles/1051 km

7-8. Darling Scarp (Oceania) and Madagascar East Coast Escarpment (Africa) = 620 miles/1,000 km

9. Blue Ridge Escarpment (North America) = 550 miles/885 km

10. Tuwaiq Escarpment (Asia) = 500 miles/800 km

11. Zambezi Escarpment (Africa) = 497 miles/800 km

12. Manitoba/Pembina Escarpment (North America) = 419 miles/675 km

13-14. Sierra Escarpment (North America) = 400 miles/644 km Balcones Escarpment (North America) ~ 400 miles/644 km

15. Book Cliffs Escarpment (North America) = 250 miles/402 km *longest continuous escarpment in the world

16-17. Caprock Escarpment (North America) and Mogollon Rim (North America) = 200 miles/320 km

18. Usas Escarpment (Antarctica) = 199 miles/320 km

19. Roan Cliffs Escarpment (North America) = 190 miles/306 km – separate escarpment atop the Book Cliffs Escarpment

20. Allegheny Front (North America) = 180 miles/290 km

21. Western Andean Escarpment (South America) = 155 miles/250 km

22. North Downs Chalk Escarpment = 153 miles/246 km

23. Knobstone Escarpment (North America) = 150 miles/241 km

24. Nullarbor Scarp (Oceania) = 130 miles/210 km

25. Missouri Escarpment (North America) = 100 miles/161 km

26-27. Bandiagara Escarpment (Africa) and Vermillion-Echo Cliffs Escarpment (North America) = 90 miles/160 km

28. South Downs Chalk Escarpment (Europe) = 68 miles/110 km

29. Onondaga Escarpment (North America) = 62 miles/100km

30. Illawarra Escarpment (Oceania) = 57 miles/92 km

31-32. Lincoln/Trent Cliff (Europe) and Mescalero Ridge (North America) = 50 miles/80 km

33. Chiltern Escarpment (Europe) = 45 miles/72 km

34. Côte d’Or (Europe) = 30 miles/48 km

35. Catskills Escarpment (North America) = 24 miles/38 km

36. Palisades Escarpment (North America) = 20 miles/34 km

37. Wenlock Edge (Europe) = 19 miles/31 km

38. Chinese Wall Escarpment (North America) = 12 miles/19 km

39-40. Duluth Escarpment (North America) and Black Mountain Escarpment (Europe) = 11 miles/18 km

Other Escarpments – More Information Needed

• Cody Scarp (North America)
• Elgeyo Escarpement (Africa)
• Eardley Escarpment (North America) = 40+ km
• Kaimai Escarpment (Oceania)
• Muldraugh Hill Escarpment (North America)
• Pottsville/Cumberland Escarpment (North America)
• Sharon Escarpment (Asia)
• Gotland–Saaremaa Klint (Europe) = 180+ km
• Wulian Feng (Asia)

SOURCES:

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Escarpment
• https://www.britannica.com/place/Niagara-Escarpment
• https://www.britannica.com/place/Serra-do-Mar
• https://www.dmr.nd.gov/ndgs/ndnotes/pembina/Pembina.htm
• personal knowledge
• https://www.manitoba.ca/iem/geo/mgstracker/images/region6/2010_fieldtrip.pdf
• https://www.greatnortherncatskills.com/how-thru-hike-escarpment-trail
• https://en-academic.com/dic.nsf/enwiki/4787527
• https://falzguy.com/escarp-niag-onon.html#:~:text=The%20Onondaga%20Escarpment%20begins%20at,600%20feet%20above%20sea%20level.
• https://www.geneseo.edu/sites/default/files/2023-08/Brett%20and%20Brett%20SDS%202023%20Part%201%20-%20Niagara%20Frontier.pdf
• https://oldleacounty.com/2021/07/13/mescalero-ridge/
• https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0040195101002128
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuwaiq
• https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Nigel-Barker-2/publication/234834352_The_Great_Escarpment_of_Southern_Africa_A_New_Frontier_for_Biodiversity_Exploration/links/0fcfd510128f337795000000/The-Great-Escarpment-of-Southern-Africa-A-New-Frontier-for-Biodiversity-Exploration.pdf
• https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2022JF007001#:~:text=Eastern%20Madagascar%20is%20characterized%20by,et%20al.%2C%202021).
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunda_Cliffs
• https://kentdowns.org.uk/north-downs-way/#:~:text=Passing%20through%20153%20miles%20of,life%2Dchanging%20long%20distance%20walk.
• https://www.blackmountainswalking.co.uk/the-black-mountains-magic
• https://thevinofiles.typepad.com/the_vino_files/2008/09/burgundy-2.html#:~:text=For%20all%20its%20notoriety%2C%20the,past%20Santenay%20in%20the%20south.
• https://www.looduskalender.ee/klint/eng/5.html
• https://www.neilyworld.com/neilyworld/eegpnw.htm
• https://www.swimdrinkfish.ca/lake-ontario-waterkeeper/blog/19870
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Palisades_(Hudson_River)
• https://suwa.org/multimedia/map/book-cliffsdesolation-canyon-region/#:~:text=Winding%20for%20250%20miles%20across,continuous%20escarpment%20in%20the%20world.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roan_Cliffs#:~:text=Stretching%20nearly%20190%20miles%20(310,the%20Carbon%E2%80%91Duchesne%20county%20line.
• https://duluthmn.gov/media/7719/skyline_map.pdf
• https://www.lakesuperiorstreams.org/understanding/geology.html
• https://falzguy.com/escarp-niag-onon.html
• https://howardfalls.org/2023/08/24/the-portage-escarpment/
• https://janelcurry.com/blog1/understanding-western-new-york
• https://scholarsmine.mst.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3134&context=geosci_geo_peteng_facwork

https://panethos.wordpress.com/2024/01/11/natures-sheer-cliffs-the-worlds-longest-escarpments/

#bluffs #cliffs #ecology #ecosystems #environment #escarpments #geology #hiking #history #landUse #mountains #planning #rims #topology #travel