UVM Theses and Dissertations
Format:
Print
Author:
Comen, Todd
Title:
Dept./Program:
Natural Resources
Year:
2013
Degree:
PhD
Abstract:
The 20th century witnessed the rise of globalization and its impacts on the environment, rural communities, and farming and forestry practices. Mimy people today are questioning the utility of monofunctional landscapes and globalization. Access to, and use of open land adjacent to urban and rural communities, has become ever more contentious as multiple user groups vie for control. However, in many communities around the world, community members, planners, policy makers, and local organizations are developing ways to respond to the negative impacts of globalization. Efforts to protect and restore landscapes, as well as the rising trend of the organic and buy local movements, are gaining momentum in countering globalization.
In the European Union, a strategy to ameliorate the negative affects of globalization called multifunctionality has been developed. Multifunctionality encourages land owners to consider the public benefits of healthy ecosystems, sustainable agriculture, conservation of biodiversity, and preservation of traditional practices. Few studies have used the framework ofmultifunctionality to study land use patterns in the United States. The Intervale landscape, located adjacent to Vermont's largest city of Burlington, is the focus of this study. Nested within three surrounding communities, the Intervale has been transformed over the past twenty-five years from a degraded and neglected landscape to a vibrant, multifaceted landscape where multiple user groups and a variety of public and private goods result from stewardship of the landscape. The goal of this research was to understand how multiple groups imagine, shape, manage, and use the Intervale landscape. This study analyzes the Intervale landscape through the lens of the theory of multifunctionality.
A mix of qualitative and quantitative methods was employed to understand the multilayered and complex Intervale landscape. Methods included participant observation, and semi-structured interviews. A survey instrument was administered to capture demographic data and use patterns of the various user groups. A case study framework is used to communicate the research results.
Research results illustrated that the EU model ofmultifunctionality partially explained the Intervale landscape, but an expanded model more accurately described the multifunctional nature ofthe Intervale. The expanded model consists of four functional pillars and a community-based governance structure. The factors that catalyzed and sustained the Intervale landscape transformation were uncovered and are elucidated in the study. Policymakers, land use planners, and organizations managing land adjacent to and within urban and rural communities, can learn from the results of the study.
In the European Union, a strategy to ameliorate the negative affects of globalization called multifunctionality has been developed. Multifunctionality encourages land owners to consider the public benefits of healthy ecosystems, sustainable agriculture, conservation of biodiversity, and preservation of traditional practices. Few studies have used the framework ofmultifunctionality to study land use patterns in the United States. The Intervale landscape, located adjacent to Vermont's largest city of Burlington, is the focus of this study. Nested within three surrounding communities, the Intervale has been transformed over the past twenty-five years from a degraded and neglected landscape to a vibrant, multifaceted landscape where multiple user groups and a variety of public and private goods result from stewardship of the landscape. The goal of this research was to understand how multiple groups imagine, shape, manage, and use the Intervale landscape. This study analyzes the Intervale landscape through the lens of the theory of multifunctionality.
A mix of qualitative and quantitative methods was employed to understand the multilayered and complex Intervale landscape. Methods included participant observation, and semi-structured interviews. A survey instrument was administered to capture demographic data and use patterns of the various user groups. A case study framework is used to communicate the research results.
Research results illustrated that the EU model ofmultifunctionality partially explained the Intervale landscape, but an expanded model more accurately described the multifunctional nature ofthe Intervale. The expanded model consists of four functional pillars and a community-based governance structure. The factors that catalyzed and sustained the Intervale landscape transformation were uncovered and are elucidated in the study. Policymakers, land use planners, and organizations managing land adjacent to and within urban and rural communities, can learn from the results of the study.