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Engaging the Future: Forecasts, Scenarios, Plans, and Projects

suggesting that the size, shape, complexity, and distribution of patch, corridor, and matrix units are mitigating factors that contribute to interaction levels between system components. The authors stress the application of scientific principles in planning and propose a five-phase methodology that moves theory into application. Measuring Landscapes suggests an approach that focuses on landscape as the optimum eco-unit for investigations. This aligns with distribution patterns expressed in Forman’s mosaic model, as well as Lynch’s typology for urban form, for example, districts, edges, nodes, paths, and landmarks. The authors further argue that landscape units, areas that are “spatially heterogeneous in at least one factor of interest” (p. 213), are desirable, as investigations can be facilitated at four structural levels: cell, patch, class, and landscape. While this unit, presented as a square kilometer, has been widely applied in previous modeling efforts, such an emphasis might limit the book’s utility with regard to planning at, say, the local level. The book’s stated goal is to “provide a working understanding of landscape metrics to assist planners in applying and interpreting pattern metrics to support the planning of sustainable landscapes” (p. 206). Accordingly, the issue of metrics, and their utility in planning, is a dominant theme of the discussions. The authors state that the term landscape metric and its application are well known among scientists. Thus, they assume that the reader will know what is meant by the term and how metrics might add value to their initiatives. While a definition is presented in the glossary, section 1.4.1, entitled “What Are Landscape Metrics,” falls short of offering a clear understanding of what landscape metrics are and why planners might benefit from them. This omission limits the book’s stated intent of providing a bridge between the planning and scientific communities. The issue of sustainable landscapes is presented in the context of achieving some balance between human needs and existing environmental resources. Accordingly, landscape components are presented in terms of their desirability for some intended use. The analogy of the Amherst, Massachusetts, watershed in chapter 4 embodies this environment-human linkage with its presentation of smart growth strategies. This focus is contradictory, however, to the introduction of chapter 2, which states that sustainable planning involves the maintenance of natural systems. The authors provide insightful discussions on landscape change and natural versus anthropogenic disturbances; however, the question of maintaining naturalness in the context of land use planning needs clarification. While the book’s intention might be stated as a handbook for planners, the material has value as a teaching aid, especially at the graduate level. This is particularly true when reviewing the introductory discussions on landscape ecology, sustainability, and landscape structure. Other material, such as chapter 3, “The Selected Set of Landscape Metrics,” has a limited utility for students who are not at an advanced level of ecological understanding. Further, the writing style often presents information in a form that might intimidate all but experienced students of environmental planning. An additional issue is presented in chapter 3, which reviews what the authors describe as their core set of 10 landscape metrics. Each metric is reviewed, and then followed by a discussion concerning its applications and limitations, plus a set of recommendations. The “Metric Equation and Calculation” section is presented per metric, providing a mathematical presentation of how each algorithm operates. Some metrics, such as the Euclidean Nearest Neighbor Distance, require a keen understanding of higher order mathematics. While the information is comprehensive, only portions would be useful to a planner or student. A planner would not need a mathematical discussion of Euclidean distance theory, but would be more interested in how an application might produce some output. Thus, the chapter, while rich with information, provides more material than what might be necessary for the reader. The authors therefore might have selected their target audience more judiciously and structured their material accordingly.