Subject | Key Points |
Three Mile Island | - #1, March 1979
- 1st and only nuclear meltdown in US history
- Leads to insurmountable negative pubic opinion about energy; encouraged dependence on fossil fuels |
Sagebrush Solution | #2, 1980
Ronald Reagan's campaign: "Ensure that states have an equitable share of public lands and their natural resources"
Movement grows over 20 years, addresses state and individual property rights |
World Heritage Cities | #3, 1982
UNESCO designees include Brasilia, Kyoto, Bath, Ankgor, and Quebec City
Draws attention to importance of history and culture in great cities |
S&L Failure/Banking Crisis | #4, 1984-1991
Due to high interest rates, lender fraud, etc. – worst bank crisis since Great Depression
2,700 banks fail, including 25% of all S&L
Total losses ~ $240 billion |
1st Nat'l Forum on Biodiversity | #5, September 1986
Nat'l Academy of Sciences & Smithsonian
Focus: accelerating loss of plant and animals due to increasing humans and economic development,
Underscores Ian McHarg |
Iron Curtain Falls | #6, 1989
End of USSR
Opens Eastern Europe to decentralized community planning |
Loma Prieta | #7, October 1989
Causes billions in damage to homes, enterprise, and infrastructure
Total economic loss ~ $5.9 billion Includes 12,000 housing units destroyed or damaged, 7K of which were rental |
Australia's Land Care Movement | #8, February 1989
Australian Conservation Foundation and National Farmers' Foundation to prevent crippling of Australian agriculture
Call to spend $340 million over 10 years to address land degradation |
Rio Accord | #9, 1992
UN Adopts "Agenda 21" – forward looking global approach to planning
No attention in US |
Hurricane Andrew | #10, August 1992
Most destructive and expensive hurricane (until Katrina) -- Estimated value of loss: $26.5 billion
Emphasizes importance of pre- and post-disaster mitigation planning |
National Commission on Severely Distressed Public Housing | #11, 1992
86,000 severely distressed units in U.S.
Recommends federal policies move towards decentralization of public housing |
Mississippi & Missouri Rivers Overflow | #12, 1993
Losses > $12 billion – communities relocated/mitigated
Underscores need for post-disaster recovery and reconstruction |
North American Free Trade Act | #13, 1994 (NAFTA)
Critical role in planning economic and development decisions regarding manufacturing plants and related activities
Lots of protests |
National Spatial Data Infrastructure | #14, 1994 (NSDI)
Development of base data for GIS – by executive order
Subsequent to TIGER in 1988 |
Charter of New Urbanism | #15, 1996
Support for "traditional neighborhood development" |
Kyoto Accord | #16, 1997
Kyoto, Japan – accord to reduce greenhouse gases
Opposed by US, refuses to participate |
Three Gorges Reservoir | #17, 1997
Power dams on Yangtze (China)
Covers more than 199 towns and 395 sq.mi.
Requires resettlement of 1.2 million Chinese
26 hydropower turbines |
New Wave of Immigration | #18, 2000
US Census: foreign-born persons @ 11.1%
Immigrants move to suburbs rather than cities |
Aging Baby Boomers | #19, 2000
Median age = 35.3, oldest ever
5:1 ratio of working to non-working will drop to 2:1 b y 2050
Major implications for communities – "aging in place" |
Record-Setting Wildfires | #20, 2000
Result of population growth in west and residential development in fire-prone areas "wildland-urban interface" |
US Mass Transit | #21, 2000-2001
9.4 billion trips, highest peak in ridership in 40 years |
Sprawl | #22, 2001
1982-1997: Kentucky and W. Virginia had greatest change in amount of developed land on per capita basis
Even states with modest population growth face sprawl related problems |
Imagine New York | #23, 2002 (project of Municipal Art Society)
4,000 from metro NY, US, and worldwide participate in effort to obtain input about rebuilding WTC
Facilitated workshops, special website, ongoing opportunities for public involvement |
Suburban Health | #24, August 2003
CDC Report: people in areas with most sprawl are more likely to be overweight and have high blood pressure
200,000 individuals in 448 metro area counties |
Big Dig | #25, 2003
Boston's Central Artery/Tunnel Project opens
Most complex and expensive highway project in US ($14.6 billion)
Downtown Boston can reconnect with waterfront neighborhoods and historic North End |