Land Use Research Guide: Siting Unpopular Land Uses

Wind energy today is a booming worldwide industry. The technology has truly come of age, with better, more reliable machinery and a greater understanding of how and where wind power makes sense -- from the independent homestead to a grid-connected utility-wide perspective. Heightened concerns about our environment mean that this resurgence of interest in wind -- a natural and widespread power source -- is here to stay.Wind Power is an up-to-date version of Paul Gipe's definitive 1993 book, Wind Power for Home and Business. In addition to expanded sections on gauging wind resources and siting wind turbines, this edition includes new examples and case studies of successful wind systems as well as international sources for new and used equipment.

Energy is truly the world's most vital commodity. It makes modern societies possible, and the decisions made regarding it have far-reaching repercussions. Every day stories about the price of oil, the resurgence of nuclear power, or the latest clean energy alternative can be found in mainstream news outlets across the country. Yet despite its high profile, energy remains largely misunderstood. People are confused, intimidated and generally discouraged from learning about energy, partly because the topic is so large and opaque, but also because the resources that do exist fail to provide an overall picture the average reader can understand. Here, in easily accessible language accompanied by simple illustrations of difficult concepts, the authors lay out the basics of energy in a palatable and refreshing way. Readers are treated to a vivid presentation of the basics of energy science, alongside the politics, economics, and social issues that impact its harnessing, distribution, and use. Anyone interested in how energy truly works will find answers in these pages that shed light on the past, present, and future of world energy.

Increasing energy efficiency and the use of renewable energy are the most important actions that can be taken to combat climate changes. As a result, the growth of clean energy will likely be one of the major economic engines of the coming decade.

Although innumerable books and articles have been written on the various techniques that bear on solutions to the complex of problems involved, this book, written by an acknowledged specialist in the field, is the first really comprehensive treatment of all existing methodologies and techniques currently in use or proposed. Thoroughly up-to-date, eminently readable, and rich in actual examples, Quah and Tan s book is essential reading for students and profitable reading for all economists interested in resource allocation and project evaluation. Assuredly it will become the standard work in this fascinating and challenging field for years to come. Ezra J. Mishan, London School of Economics, UK The problem of siting useful but unwanted facilities is a source of conflict and frustration that seems destined to grow in countries in all stages of development all over the world. Quah and Tan detail both the nature of the conflicts and the advantages and shortcomings of the many proposals of instruments to resolve them. However, drawing on recent findings and methods from game theory, risk analysis, and experimental economics, they go beyond this useful review and provide new alternative strategies that offer promise of easier resolutions. Local residents, as well as public officials, should benefit from their efforts. Jack L. Knetsch, Simon Fraser University, Canada Getting the right balance between benefits and costs of environmentally sensitive projects is rarely straightforward. This book provides an economic approach to resolving the location choice for projects that no one wants as a neighbour the so called NIMBY syndrome. By offering policymakers an approach that is evidence-based, transparent and accountable, the authors have made an important contribution to the development of more informed policy formulation and decision making in developed and developing countries. Colin Kirkpatrick, University of Manchester, UK It is a delight to have a book on a very important practical topic by an economist and a statistician who are well accomplished and co-operated with remarkable success before. The proposal of using a combination of compensation auctions and regulatory instruments to tackle the tricky not-in-my-backyard problem makes particular sense. Yew-Kwang Ng, Monash University, Australia There are very few economic studies that systematically analyze the core problem in most environmental conflicts among neighbouring communities the so-called not-in-my-backyard problem. This primer offers a superb analysis on such issue. The authors undertake an insightful state-of-the-art survey on methods of coping with such environmental conflicts. This book will prove to be of practical value to researchers and practitioners, especially those from the developing economies where environmental conflicts among regional communities will soon come to the fore as their standard of living rapidly improves. This book is a must for all the green readers. Kenneth S. Chan, McMaster University, Canada This is clearly a very timely and needed book since funding for research activities and, consequently, publications on the NIMBY syndrome have become dwindled in the 1990s as it became clear that the NIMBY problem has become almost irresolvable in Europe and North America. At the same time Asian countries except Japan have started to encounter the inevitable NIMBY syndrome because of their rapid economic growth. The research into Asian experience may be able to provide solutions to the problem. This book is the result of two prominent Asian scholars long time research into this difficult and important problem. By exploring the experiences and theoretical basis of economic instruments in general and compensation auction in particular for resolving NIMBY problems, this book features Asian experience since compensations and other economic instruments are usually rejected in European and North American NIMBY cases. Daigee Shaw, Academia Sini

From dams to landfill sites, and power plants to radioactive waste repositories, the siting of facilities is a veritable minefield of conflicts involving industry, planners, authorities, NGOs and citizens. This penetrating volume examines risk, power and identity in contests over the siting of infrastructure and industrial facilities. Going beyond nimby-ism, experts in a variety of fields bring a multiperspective analysis from science, law and media to case studies from the UK, USA and Europe, and expose the political and cultural dimensions of siting conflicts. In the process they show how place attachment and notions of landscape and local identity play a prominent role in resistance to 'development'. Topics covered include the importance of context in siting controversies, siting methods and social representation, siting conflicts, the importance of institutional thinking in facility siting, risk, industrial encroachment and the sense of place, siting and sacred places, and law and fairness. This book is essential reading for academics in social sciences, policy, planning, law and risk; policy makers, planners and decision makers at all levels of government; business and industry, particularly energy generation, including nuclear and renewables, transportation and large dams; risk assessment professionals; and NGOs and activists.

Disputes over hazardous waste sites usually are resolved by giving greater weight to expert opinion over public "not-in-my-back-yard" reactions. Challenging the assumption that policy experts are better able to discern the general welfare, Gregory E. McAvoy here proposes that citizen opinion and democratic dissent occupy a vital, constructive place in environmental policymaking.

McAvoy explores the issues of citizen rationality, the tension between democracy and technocracy, and the link between public opinion and policy in the case of an unsuccessful attempt to site a hazardous waste facility in Minnesota. He shows how the site was defeated by citizens who had reasonable doubts over the need for the facility.

Offering a comprehensive look at the policymaking process, McAvoy examines the motivations of public officials, the resources they have for shaping opinion, the influence of interest groups, and the evolution of waste reduction programs in Minnesota and other states. Integrating archival material, interviews, and quantitative survey data, he argues that NIMBY movements can bring miscalculations to light and provide an essential check on policy experts' often partisan views.

This book will be of value to those who work or study in the fields of hazardous waste policy, facility siting, environmental policy, public policy, public administration, and political science.