LA/UP 341 Fall 1998

Held values of environmental goods

A tree; a lake; a view:
Where does value reside?

Intrinsic value

the essential value of a thing

Instrumental value

the value of a thing for what can be done with it

Individual value

the value of a thing to an individual

Social value

the value of a thing to society

Anthropocentric vs. environmental value

the value of a thing to mankind vs. creation

Readings:
Kellert, Stephen R., 1996. The Value of Life: Biological Diversity and Human Society. Washington, DC: Island Press. Chapters 1-3, pp3-63.

Hanna, Susan, and Svein Jentoft, 1996. Human Use of the Natural Environment: An Overview ofSocial and Economic Dimensions. In, S. Hanna, C. Folke, and K-G. Maler, eds., Rights to Nature. Washington, DC: Island Press. pp36-55.

How does the human value the environment?

Note: I borrowed this listing directly from Kellert but I have expanded his descriptions to include human systems as well as natural. At least in the material I have found, authors addressing the value of "environment" or "land resources" almost exclusively focus on nature and natural systems. I think there are compelling reasons to address the values of human influenced parts of the environment -- human-used land -- since most of us live in either cities, suburbs or the rural fringe.

Utilitarian

natural or built features to be exploited, used, sold

Naturalistic/Architectural

the value of direct contact with nature/architecture

Scientific/Ecologistic

appreciation of the system's functioning

Aesthetic

a preference for, or attraction to the built or natural environment

Symbolic

what the environment means as communication or thought

Dominionistic

exercise mastery and control over natural or human-made features

Humanistic

affection for, and emotional bonding with human or natural systems

Moralistic

concern for ethical relations with nature, people

Negativistic

avoidance, fear and dislike of creatures and places

Breakout and discussion:

Consider a category of land use in an abused American city
Sketch its domain of held values
Report back

Discussion of readings:

Kellert has become a prominent writer on the relationships between people and nature. The book The Biophilia Hypothesis that he co-edited with E.O Wilson is in my view a "must-read" for anyone wanting to pursue this topic further. The chapters I chose here do two things. First, the hierarchy of values he proposes provide an organized and comprehensive framework for thinking about the range of ways we value the environment. Consider the different domains he describes and think about how our current planning procedures and policies "cover" them. Second, the series of analyses of demographic influences on values is fascinating food for thought.

Another writer, Kevin Lynch, in his book A Theory of Good City Form takes such insights and develops what he calls "normative theories" of how cities work. Normative theories, like rules-of-thumb, are operating principles to be tested in practice and eventually develop into legitimate theories of environmental behavior -- theories we are sadly short of.

Kellert, Stephen E., and Edward O. Wilson (eds.), 1993. The Biophilia Hypothesis. Washington, DC: Island Press.
Lynch, Kevin, 1981. A Theory of Good City Form. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.

I chose the chapter by Hanna and Jentoft for the clear way they describe real-world instances of value systems at work, and the introduction of several ideas: a) that human values evolve as societies evolve; b) that there may be a parallel move from individual to societal values as societies evolve; and c) that the idea of property rights may be central to and pervade our value systems. Think about the interaction of these ideas and my proposal here that we are not a homogenous society all placed at the same stage of societal evolution -- so different constituents in any evaluation may perceive for themselves quite different property rights and accompanying property rules.

A reading I have omitted this year, possibly wrongly, is Christopher Stone's Should trees have standing? which is the record of a famous case brought by the Sierra Club (Mineral King -- Sierra Club vs. Morton, 405 US 727, 741 (1972)) that raises the question as to whether nature itself, represented by trees in the case, should have standing to protect itself from abusive exercise of property rights or rules. If considering the values of trees is going a bit too far for your tastes, the same sort of issue arises in Dumping in Dixie, by Robert Bullard, another "must-read" for those interested in environmental equity and justice. The book shows where and how property rights can be greatly different for different parts of the population when the economic and other pressures are strong enough.

Stone, C.D., 1974. Should trees have standing? Los Altos, CA: Kaufmann.
Bullard, Robert D., 1990. Dumping in Dixie. Boulder, CO: Westview.

Practical 1/Assignment 1:

Search the library for references addressing a category of land use that interests you. You may supplement with references to internet sources.
As well as you can, identify the values revealed in the readings and attempt to "flesh-out" a range of readings addressing all the types of values addressed above.
Prepare an annotated list of at least twelve references, the notes comprising a sentence or two of description for each. Locate as many as you can in the University Library and give call #s.
Prepare in Microsoft Word format, either PC or Mac and send it to the FirstClass discussion by Wednesday, September 9.
Be prepared to talk about your findings in class, describing important and interesting themes.

Readings for Monday, September 14:

Dwyer, John F., Herbert W. Schroeder, and Paul H. Gobster, 1994. The Deep Significance of Urban Trees and Forests. In, R. Platt, R. Rowntree and P. Muick, eds., The Ecological City, Preserving and Restoring Urban Biodiversity. Amherst, MA: U. Massachusetts Press. pp137-150.

Heberlein, Thomas A., 1989. Attitudes and Environmental Management. Journal of Social Issues, 45 (1) 37-57.