Vol. 30, No. 2, Fall/Winter 1992- "The Pennsylvania Geographer"
PENNSYLVANIA IN THE INTERNATIONAL ECONOMY
(pp. 3 - 20)
Robert B. Begg
Department of Geography
Indiana University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, Pennsylvania
Abstract
Pennsylvania's place in the international economy of the next millennium may be good. In spite of a large loss of manufacturing employment, Pennsylvania does well in attracting foreign investment. It has particularly strong ties to the United Kingdom. If both direct and indirect employment effects are considered, Pennsylvania also ranks well in export generated employment. These statements are conditioned by two factors. First, across Pennsylvania there is a large east to west decline in economic wellbeing. The losses to Pennsylvania have been suffered in the west and the gains accrued in the east. Second, a decreasing commitment to human infrastructure could diminish the leads we now have.
HUMAN DIMENSIONS OF GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES IN THE SUSQUEHANNA RIVER BASIN: A CALL FOR RESEARCH
(pp. 21 - 36)
Brent Yarnal
Department of Geography and Earth System Science Center
The Pennsylvania State University
University Park, Pennsylvania
Abstract
Policy makers and resource managers must account for human interactions with the environment when planning for the 21st Century. The new research paradigm of the human dimensions of global environmental change provides a systematic way to integrate society and environment, and gives planners the knowledge they need to incorporate environmental change in their long-range projections. This paper introduces human-dimensions research, explaining some basic conceptual relationships between society and environment. It shows how human action has altered the hydrology of the Susquehanna River Basin (SRB), both intentionally and as the unintentional consequence of other socioeconomic activities. The paper concludes by promoting comprehensive human-dimensions research as a way to address the long-range planning issues of the SRB in the 21st Century.
PENNSYLVANIA AND THE CHANGING ECONOMIC GEOGRAPHY OF THE UNITED STATES
(pp. 37 - 54)
Donald W. Buckwalter
Department of Geography Indiana
University of Pennsylvania
Indiana, Pennsylvania
Abstract
Pennsylvania's role in the economic geography of the United States has changed historically and continues to change. The state achieved prominence as a transportation corridor in the 18th century, but industrial production became the dominant activity in the late 19th century. Industrial decline in the late 20th century tarnishes Pennsylvania's image while the terms "Sunbelt" and "Rustbelt" gain acceptance in both popular and scholarly usage. Unfortunately, such terminology is vague and, sometimes, misleading. A more systematic classification of American economic regions clarifies the emerging roles of the fifty states. Factor analysis simplifies a set of economic variables and a Ward's method cluster analysis identifies groups of states with similar economic profiles. Pennsylvania resembles other states of the historical American Manufacturing Belt with a legacy of heavily metropolitan population and an emphasis on large business firms. Development policies should acknowledge these characteristics and encourage economic activities that use them to advantage.
(pp. 55 - 68)
Dr. Thomas A. Rumney
Associate Professor of Geography
State University of New York
Plattsburgh, New York
Abstract
On the eve of the twenty-first century, Pennsylvania's agricultural sector presents a picture of comparative difference from other nearby regions and an aura of steadiness and relative stability in terms of fundamentally important elements such as total farmland, cleared farmland, number of farms and average size of farms. Yet, within the state there have been a number of markedly different patterns of change over the past two and one-half decades. This paper examines these changes and comparisons for the period of 1969 to 1987 in order to begin analysis of the trends in Pennsylvanian agriculture for the coming decades into the next century.
THE MAGLEV: TRANSPORTATION IN PENNSYLVANIA IN THE 21ST CENTURY
(pp. 69 - 79)
Robert R. McKay
Department of Geography and Earth Science
Clarion University
Clarion, Pennsylvania
Abstract
As problems associated with air and road gridlock intensify in the 1990s, efforts will be initiated to improve existing modes of transportation and to develop new transportation technologies. One of the most promising new technologies is magnetic levitation systems or maglevs. Maglev technology enables train-like vehicles to travel on a cushion of air and to attain speeds in excess of 300 miles per hour. Although these systems are still being developed and improved, the technological and economic feasibility of these systems has been proven. This study examines several factors related to the future development of a maglev system in Pennsylvania including possible routeways, advantages and obstacles to the development of a maglev system, and the potential economic impact of this new technology on 21st Century Pennsylvanians.
(pp. 80 - 91)
Dominique Le Maux
West Chester University
West Chester, Pennsylvania
Abstract
This research investigates why states with a high frequency of tornadoes have relatively low rates of tornado-related deaths. This study examines the contiguous states of the United States from 1953 to 1989. Independent variables tested are: frequency of tornadoes, population density, level of poverty and tornado strength. A Pearson Correlation coefficient indicates the frequency of powerful tornadoes is the most determinant variable. The association between tornado frequency and mortality rates is moderate. The records show a shift in the location of tornadoes, which puts a larger number of less prepared people at risk.
WHERE WILL THE GARBAGE GO? THE FUTURE OF LANDFILL SITING IN PENNSYLVANIA
(pp. 92 - 98)
Linda S. Higgs
Regulatory Analyst Chester Environmental
Monroeville, Pennsylvania
Abstract
Waste disposal in Pennsylvania has evolved during the past 25 years from over 1,000 small local dumps to the construction of state-of-the-art regional sanitary landfills, incinerators, recycling programs and resource recovery facilities. Regulatory siting requirements including topography, geology, environmental assessment, and demography have now come face-to-face with the industries' concerns of marketing, transportation and supply. Throughout the regulatory/industrial battle runs the undercurrent of public misinformation and the "Not In My Backyard" (NIMBY) syndrome. In this report, where municipal landfills will be located in Pennsylvania in the next century is examined while accounting for regulatory, industrial, and public concerns.