Water resource and land-use planning: A system approach

Urban Ecology, 9 (1985) 75--89 Elsevier Science Publishers B.V., Amsterdam -- Printed in The Netherlands

75

B o o k Reviews WATER RESOURCE AND LAND-USE PLANNING

Water Resource and Land-use Planning: A S y s t e m and Y.Y. H a i m e s (Editors). N A T O A d v a n c e d D e v e l o p m e n t s B e h a v i o u r a l a n d Social Sciences, B.V., T h e Hague, T h e N e t h e r l a n d s , 1982. C l o t h 57.50. I S B N 9 0 - 2 4 7 - 2 7 2 6 - X .

Approach. P. L a c o n t e S t u d y I n s t i t u t e Series, 11. N i j h o f f Publishers price Dfl. 1 3 5 . 0 0 / U S $

A l m o s t 500 pages long, this b o o k c o n t a i n s 22 p a p e r s w h i c h c o n s t i t u t e t h e proceedings of the N A T O Advanced Study Institute on Water Resources and L a n d Use Planning held at L o u v a i n - L a - N e u v e , Belgium in 1 9 7 8 . This c o l l e c t i o n has m a n y b a d characteristics a n d f e w r e d e e m i n g ones. T h e p a p e r s reflect w o r k t h a t was d o n e a l m o s t a d e c a d e ago. T h e t e x t is p r i n t e d direct f r o m t y p e d m a n u s c r i p t s a n d in c o n s e q u e n c e t e n d s to l o o k messy. S o m e d i a g r a m s are illegible. T h e r e are t w o o t h e r m o r e serious p r o b lems. First, t h e q u a l i t y o f the p a p e r s is m i x e d . This s e e m s e n d e m i c to r e c o r d s o f c o n f e r e n c e s w h e r e t h e o r g a n i z e r and p r o c e e d i n g s e d i t o r s have failed t o exert adequate control over the contributions. Second the conference theme has p e r m i t t e d a p l e t h o r a o f t o p i c s a n d styles to b e a d m i t t e d . Specialized t e c h n i c a l research p a p e r s are mingled w i t h n o n - t e c h n i c a l c o m m e n t a r i e s which in t u r n are s a n d w i c h e d b e t w e e n a d - h o c n o t e s on local c i r c u m s t a n c e s and sweeping reviews o f w o r l d - w i d e c o n d i t i o n s . T h e e d i t o r s d o little t o i m p r o v e m a t t e r s . T h e general i n t r o d u c t i o n , t h e overall c o n c l u s i o n s a n d the i n t r o d u c t i o n s to each section are terse a n d u n i n f o r m a t i v e . T h e papers are g r o u p e d into five sections. T h e first c o n t a i n s f o u r p a p e r s u n d e r t h e h e a d i n g S y s t e m s a n d M e t h o d s . T w o are t e c h n i c a l in n a t u r e a n d t w o , b y F.X. de D o n v e a u a n d L.J. L o c h t address in general t e r m s p r o c e d u r e s to m o d e l and evaluate w a t e r r e s o u r c e p r o g r a m s . B o t h are b r i e f a n d d o n o t get b e y o n d t h e difficulties o f a t t e m p t i n g c o m p r e h e n s i v e analysis in a c o m plex and o n l y p a r t l y u n d e r s t o o d w o r l d . T h e first o f t h e t e c h n i c a l p a p e r s is by Y.C. D r e i z e n and M.A. Pollatscheck. It describes a m u l t i - o b j e c t i v e simulation m o d e l u s e d t o select i n s t r u m e n t a t i o n f o r c o n t r o l o f a w a t e r distribution s y s t e m in Israel. T h e s e c o n d p a p e r , b y P. N i j k a m p and P. Rietveld, describes a p r o c e d u r e t h a t p e r m i t s an a n a l y s t to i n t e r a c t w i t h a decisionm a k e r to d e t e r m i n e a set o f feasible a n d a c c e p t a b l e alternatives f r o m a large n u m b e r o f available o p t i o n s . T h e s e c o n d section, W a t e r R e s o u r d e s S u b s y s t e m s , consists o f five p a p e r s . T h e first, b y L.W. De Backer, argues t h e n e e d f o r b o t h field m e a s u r e m e n t s a n d m o d e l i n g f o r e f f e c t i v e m e a s u r e m e n t o f w a t e r resources. It is f o l l o w e d b y a s u m m a r y p a p e r b y M. H o l y t h a t discusses t h e e n v i r o n m e n t a l i m p a c t s o f reservoir c o n s t r u c t i o n and t h e c o n c e p t o f s y s t e m s engineering and o p t i m i z a t i o n m e t h o d s in w a t e r m a n a g e m e n t . T h e o t h e r t h r e e p a p e r s are d i f f i c u l t t o

76 relate t o the subject o f the b o o k : a long p a p e r b y P.H. J o n e s discusses m e t h o d s o f waste w a t e r t r e a t m e n t ; t h e n G. Kaule reviews the ecological effects o f h u m a n activities; and A. S c h m i t z discusses the use o f marshing f o r sewage t r e a t m e n t . T h e n e x t section, h e a d e d L a n d Use S u b s y s t e m s , begins with a p a p e r b y Y.Y. Haimes, a c o e d i t o r o f t h e b o o k , which s u m m a r i z e s a m a j o r systems engineering research e f f o r t t o f o r m u l a t e a m o d e l f o r t h e c o m p r e h e n s i v e w a t e r r e s o u r c e planning o f the M a u m e e River Basin. T h e discussion conc e n t r a t e s o n t h e q u e s t i o n o f the design c o n s e q u e n c e s o f a p r o g r a m with m u l t i p l e objectives and several decision m a k i n g bodies. An analysis o f the implicit t r a d e - o f f s m a d e in t h e planning process leads the r e s e a r c h e r t o challenge t h e n o t i o n o f o p t i m a l design as t h e basic s y s t e m engineering objective. This is o n e o f t h e m o s t interesting papers in t h e collection, b u t it leaves these readers: (a) wanting t o k n o w m o r e a b o u t this p a r t i c u l a r case; and (b) w o n d e r i n g w h y t h e r e are no r e f e r e n c e s to o t h e r c o m p r e h e n s i v e planning efforts, in t r a n s p o r t a t i o n or u r b a n planning f o r instance, w h e r e e x a c t l y t h e same issue has b e e n c o n f r o n t e d and e x h a u s t i v e l y c o v e r e d in t h e literature. R. S c o t t Russell provides a wide ranging discussion o f agricultural aspects o f w a t e r m a n a g e m e n t , including reviews o f t h e b e h a v i o u r o f w a t e r in t h e plant/soil system, the role o f irrigation or drainage in dealing with deficiencies or excessive water, and the p r o b l e m o f nitrates in g r o u n d w a t e r . T h e l a t t e r review is used as a basis f o r q u e s t i o n i n g t h e p o p u l a r belief t h a t agricultural fertilizer use is t h e p r i m a r y source o f n i t r a t e in g r o u n d w a t e r supplies. Given the stated t h e m e o f this b o o k , it is r a t h e r unlikely t h a t readers with a p a r t i c u l a r interest in this subject w o u l d c o m e across this interesting discussion. The last p a p e r in this section is b y A.M. Van Oosten. It is a brief n o t e (five pages) o n t h e world-wide misuse o f soil and w a t e r resources b y "malf u n c t i o n i n g societies". T h e suggestion t h a t village councils m i g h t be a m e d i u m f o r r e c t i f y i n g m a t t e r s seems scarcely a d e q u a t e . T h e f o u r t h section is m a d e up o f f o u r papers on H u m a n Subsystems. E. Vlachos e x h o r t s us to d e v e l o p a " n e w social c a l c u l u s " which is to be c o m b i n e d w i t h a planning t h a t is non-elitist and able t o absorb every conceivable value and implication. On the o t h e r h a n d E. Wertz reminds us o f t h e b l u n t political t r a d e - o f f s m a d e b e t w e e n d e v e l o p m e n t and e n v i r o n m e n t a l degradat i o n at t h e local level and the pressure o n t e c h n i c a l e x p e r t s t o go along if t h e y w a n t to get along. G. D u p r y ' s h i s t o r y o f sewage handling in t h e t o w n s and cities o f F r a n c e f r o m the start o f t h e 1 9 t h c e n t u r y is, perhaps surprisingly, n o t o u t o f place in t h e same section as F.C. Z u i d e m a ' s call f o r w a t e r r e s o u r c e planning t o be i n t e g r a t e d with u r b a n planning in a t o t a l systems approach. T h e last section is e n t i t l e d Case Studies. D u m p e d here in n o a p p a r e n t o r d e r are half a d o z e n papers ranging f r o m a review o f w a t e r m a n a g e m e n t planing in S o u t h East Wisconsin (G.M. Karadi and K.K. Lee) to a critique

77 of epidemiological studies tracing various disorders to nitrates in drinking water by E. Tempia. B ot h of these are interesting reviews and Tempia adds to the eclectic nature of the whole collection by moving abrupt l y from nitrates to lagoons f or drinking water t r e a t m e n t and artificial lakes as landscape t r e a t m e n t s and r un- of f controls. The papers on Louvain-La-Neuve, illustrating urban design aimed at minimizing run-off (P. L acont e) and describing th e new Tailfo water purificiation plant for t he Brussels region reflect the location of the conference. M. N o t o d i h a r d j o provides us with a list of policy objectives and guidelines for water resource planning in Indonesia. And a m o t h e r h o o d list it is too. The remaining paper (G. Guariso and D. Maidment) describes an algorithm for pricing and allocating irrigation waters f o r a major scheme in north-west Mexico. The dustcover suggests that this b o o k should prove a relevant and vital t e x t for all those i nvol ved in physical planning and policy f o r m a t i o n related to water resources and land use. T o o m a n y o f the articles are t o o superficial and t o o casual f or this to be the case. Moreover the age o f t he w ork shows through. The attitudes of the a u t h o r and issues addressed in m a n y o f the articles, particularly those c o n c e r n e d with comprehensive planning approaches, look and are dated. All in all this is an u n h a p p y and disappointing collection o f papers. These reviewers do n o t r e c o m m e n d it. M.C. POULTON Department of Urban and Rural Planning, Faculty of Architecture

and D.H. WALLER Department of Civil Engineering, Faculty of Engineering Technical University of Nova Scotia P. O. Box 1000, Halifax, N.S. B3J 2X4, Canada

AGRICULTURAL, LAND IN AN URBAN SOCIETY Owen J. Furuseth and J o h n T. Pierce. The Association of American Geographers, Washington, DC, U.S.A., 1982. 89 pp., Price US$ 5.00 including postage. ISBN 0-89291142-2.

Agricultural L a n d in an Urban S o c i e t y .

The land areas of bot h Canada and t he U.S.A. are large, particularly when c o m p a r e d to t he countries o f Western Europe, and t h e y are rich in natural resources including an a bun dant agricultural resource which has " c o n t r i b u t e d m uc h to Canadian and American e c o n o m i c growth and eliminated the need t o rely on outside sources for basic food and fiber requirem e n t s . " The per c e pt i on has been t ha t the resources are there t o be taken, that the supply has few limits. In these circumstances t he popular acceptance in countries such as Britain and T he Netherlands that government intervention was and is necessary to p r o t e c t productive agricultural land from