Vol. 58, No. 2, Fall/Winter, 2020



ALL PRESERVATION ISN’T LOCAL: AN INVENTORY AND ANALYSIS OF HISTORIC PRESERVATION ORDINANCES IN PENNSYLVANIA MUNICIPALITIES

(pp. 1 - 18)


Steven Burg

Department of History and Philosophy

Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania

Shippensburg, Pennsylvania


Angela Cuthbert

Department of Geography

Millersville University of Pennsylvania

Millersville, Pennsylvania


Abstract


This research examines the extent to which local governments in Pennsylvania utilize their statutory power to regulate cultural and historic resources in their jurisdictions. The study details the first comprehensive statewide inventory and analysis of historic preservation ordinances in Pennsylvania municipalities. The research considers historic preservation ordinances enabled by the two statutory pathways provided by state law, the Historic District Act of 1961 and the Municipalities Planning Code of 1968. The research employs several methodologies including an online survey of county planning directors, zoning ordinance audits, and sociodemographic analyses. The findings include the identification of 294 municipalities engaged in historic preservation, the limited diversity of regulatory approaches and important sociodemographic factors that help to explain why some municipalities engage in historic preservation and others do not.




THE DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH: URBAN SLUM DEVELOPMENT IN DELHI, INDIA

(pp. 18 - 33)


Richard L Wolfel

Center for Languages, Cultures and Regional Studies

United States Military Academy

West Point, New York


Abstract


The ascendance of the modern global economy influences rural to urban migration and the growth of slum communities. The growth of slum communities creates a challenge for city leadership that attempts to create an urban environment that appears clean, organized, and right for investment. Such slum clearance in the name of progress is a common theme in Delhi, India. Many slums have been cleared in the name of creating a “world class Delhi.” Paradoxically, while slums are being cleared throughout Delhi, Sanjay Colony has not only been ignored, but in some elements, the leadership of Delhi has invested in Sanjay. Using a model of urban development, this paper explains the internal dynamics of Sanjay and shows how Sanjay Colony’s unique locational characteristics makes it less of a target for removal in a city where slum removal is a common theme in urban redevelopment.




WATER QUALITY OF STREAMS IN THE MISSISSIPPI ALLUVIAL PLAIN: AN EASTERN ARKANSAS EXAMPLE

(pp. 34 - 54)


Hubert B. Stroud

Department of Criminology, Sociology, and Geography

Arkansas State University


Amelia K. Atwell

Environmental Sciences Program

Arkansas State University

Jonesboro, Arkansas 


Abstract


Water pollution is a significant issue in various parts of the United States and is particularly problematic in the Mississippi Alluvial Plain. In far too many cases, buffers are not provided along drainage ways and steams and the result has been high levels of pollution. This article uses the Cache River Basin as a case study to illustrate the extent of the problem in eastern Arkansas. Specific water quality parameters are used to illustrate important differences in temperature, dissolved oxygen, and turbidity for two sub-watersheds within the Cache River Basin where land use practices vary tremendously and the impact on surface streams is dramatically different. By almost every measure, water quality is higher in the sub-watershed with a higher percentage of woodland and more extensive stream buffers thereby illustrating the importance of watershed management and the need for protective buffers along streams as a means to improve water quality.




THE STATE OF DESPAIR IN PENNSYLVANIA: A STATISTICAL AND SPATIAL ANALYSIS

(pp. 55 - 75)


Robert C. Ziegenfus

Department of Geography

Kutztown University of Pennsylvania

Kutztown, Pennsylvania 


Abstract


Deaths of despair are deaths caused by suicide, alcohol abuse, and drug overdoses. Age-adjusted data were analyzed for these causes individually and collectively. Maps and graphs depict the temporal and spatial aspects of these rates for Pennsylvania counties. The two regions with the greatest concentration of deaths from the despair causes are southwestern and northeastern Pennsylvania. Nineteen socioeconomic variables were examined to determine the primary correlates for each despair cause. Of these, percent in poverty with low levels of education, percent old housing, percent public insurance coverage (Medicaid/Medicare), percent unemployed and percent disability were positively associated with despair deaths.



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