| Conservation biologists, land-use planners, and some citizens are concerned about the loss of natural habitats and resources as formerly rural communities experience rapid residential growth. In these 'exurban' areas, land-use planning is increasingly seen as an important means for reducing the negative ecological impacts of this residential growth. Using a case-study approach this dissertation examines the politics of land-use planning in Nevada County, California and what these politics mean for the use of planning tools as an effective way of addressing the ecological consequences of rural residential development. The dissertation found that social and political dynamics strongly influence the success of conservation practice, as pursued through the institution of land-use planning, in surprising ways.;The data for this analysis derive from the use of mixed methods, but the analysis relies primarily on ethnographic methods. In-depth interviews were conducted with current and former elected officials in the county, county planners, citizen volunteers who had participated in county planning exercises, members of special interest groups, and with some county landowners. In addition, the author personally attended several meetings of the county's Board of Supervisors, planning commission meetings, and meetings for a county planning effort known as Natural Heritage 2020. Analysis of government documents, the local media coverage, and was also performed. Finally, data from a survey mailed to a random sample of county landowners (N = 174) were compiled and analyzed.;The research describes a county in Northern California that has undergone dramatic social and political change over the past few decades. This transition has contributed to a situation where competing ideological visions of landscape dominate ideas about how best to plan for future growth. These multiple visions often exist side-by-side and, when contested through political processes, lead to unanticipated consequences. Despite what appeared to be overwhelming support in Nevada County for new 'planned growth' approaches to development, elected leaders have been unable to successfully implement alternative visions for growth based on principles of conservation science. Taken together, these results demonstrate that conservation interventions must be more attentive to the politics of particular places and what these politics mean for achieving conservation goals.;This dissertation includes work previously published in the journal Environment and Planning A (Chapter II). This work was the result of collaboration with Dr. Peter A. Walker, who appears as the second author on the published article. |
