Vol. 51, No.2 , Fall/Winter 2013 - "Local Communities"
THE IMPACT A PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL TRAINING CAMP HAS ON A SMALL RURAL COMMUNITY
(pp. 3 - 22)
Kathleen Burke
Economics Department
SUNY Cortland
Wendy Miller
Geography Department
SUNY Cortland
Cortland, New York
Abstract
Although 41 percent of the NFL franchises conduct their training camp at a college or university, few are held in small rural communities. Cortland, New York hosted the New York Jets training camp on the SUNY Cortland campus in 2010. Hosting the New York Jets in a rural county located in the Central New York region, provides an economic boost to an area that would not otherwise see this level of economic activity. Approximately 41,000 spectators visited the Cortland community during the summer of 2010. These visitors spent $2.6 million in the region during training camp. This spending combined with the money spent by SUNY Cortland and the Cortland community to prepare for their arrival generated $5.8 million of economic impact in the region.
(pp. 23 - 36)
Hubert B. Stroud
Department of Criminology, Sociology, and Geography
Arkansas State University
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Abstract
Lehigh Acres, a large pre-platted community, began in the 1950s on land that was originally acquired for a cattle ranch. The developers, skilled in marketing techniques, knew little or nothing about proper land development procedures. Lots were sold on an installment plan where clients paid $10 down and $20 per month to purchase a small piece of Florida real estate. The developers failed to provide even the most basic services to a vast majority of the lots. Poor layout and design and inadequate infrastructure have created numerous problems. One of the most significant was the widespread use of onsite septic systems and individual water wells on small ¼ and ½ acre lots. Septic system maintenance is crucial and significant questions emerge concerning groundwater pollution and the sustainability of current practices.
GIS MODELING TO SITE WIND POWER PARKS IN THE NEW RIVER GORGE REGION, WV
(pp. 37 - 50)
Brian Wize
and Christopher A. Badurek
Appalachian State University
Boone, North Carolina
Abstract
Wind power is an increasingly attractive energy source for West Virginia as the state holds valuable wind resources and new wind farms can be developed on former mined sites. This research uses a GIS model to identify potential sites for wind power parks in the New River Gorge Region of West Virginia. The analysis focused on identifying sites conducive to development of utility scale wind energy infrastructure by examining ideal wind locations located within the spatial constraints of economic viability, viewshed protection, and reducing negative impacts on wildlife. A cumulative viewshed analysis was conducted using GIS and added to the site suitability model. This addition adds to prior work on use of GIS models for identifying ideal wind power sites. This, along with land use/land cover, roads, elevation, slope, transmission lines, and population density are integrated into a site suitability model to determine the most economically feasible areas. Results indicate several viable locations for wind power parks in the New River Gorge region within close proximity to Beckley. Development of renewable energy parks in the region may provide the benefits of improving the state's renewable energy portfolio and reuse of formerly mined sites.
(pp. 51 - 65)
Alison E. Feeney and Brandon Snyder
Department of Geography and Earth Science
Shippensburg University
Shippensburg, Pennsylvania
Abstract
This paper reviews primary documents available to researchers studying early settlement of the Cumberland Valley. While this location was important to colonial history very few academic studies have focused on its settlement. Three maps demonstrate how the region transformed from an unexplored area to a fertile agricultural community. Land records from the First Families of Cumberland County books provide information on individual settlement properties, which can be overwhelming and confusing, and thus a case study of one farm demonstrates their use. The increasing availability of online documents in conjunction with GIS could provide valuable resources and tools enabling reconstruction of settlement patterns in the Cumberland Valley.
DISASTER AND CONFLICT: THE OGADEN WAR OF 1977
(pp. 66 - 90)
Francis A. Galgano
Department of Geography and the Environment
Villanova University
Villanova, Pennsylvania
Abstract
The security landscape has evolved since the end of the Cold War and linkages between environmental stress and conflict have become an important paradigm in security planning, policy, and analyses. The U.S. National Intelligence Council warns that the likelihood of environmentally triggered conflict will increase, as will the frequency and human scope of disasters. Nevertheless, many scholars dismiss this outlook, and history appears to support their position. It is difficult to establish clear cause-and-effect links between disasters, environmental stress, and armed conflict. However, the security landscape has changed decisively, and history may no longer be a reliable guide to the future. This paper suggests that continued peaceful resolution of environmentally triggered conflict is inconsistent with the realities of the emerging national security landscape. First, climate change and demographic factors are degrading environments and magnifying the effects of disasters beyond the management capacity of many states. Second, the proliferation of failing states has singularly reduced the potential for diplomatic resolution in many regions. Finally, the competition for essential resources has been exacerbated by population growth and globalization. Thus, I argue that environmental factors will likely provide a tipping point for regions already on the brink of conflict. The Ogaden War of the mid-1970s is one such example and is used as a case study to illustrate these dynamics. An analytical framework is used to illustrate the factors of environmental change and disasters, nonsustainable practices, human activity, and governance in Ethiopia during the 1970s to demonstrate their role in triggering the Ogaden War.
EXAMINING MARYLAND RESIDENTIAL HOUSING SALES 1995-2006
(pp. 91 - 104)
Veera Holdai
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
Salisbury University
Mara Chen
Department of Geography and Geosciences
Salisbury University
Barbara Wainwright
Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
Salisbury University
Salisbury, Maryland
Abstract
The recent crash of the housing market has contributed significantly to the economic recession. It is imperative to develop a better understanding of factors that affect the housing market in the wake of the economic crisis. This study analyzed housing data from the years 1995 to 2006 based on 12 different variables, among them are the number of house sales, median sale price, average interest rate, and various population and socioeconomic factors. Cluster analyses were done to separate the state into different regions based on the annual changes of housing sales data. Regression modeling was then carried out to examine the effects of a common set of factors on the residential housing markets in each of the cluster regions.