GROWTH AND STRUCTURE OF CITIES

SENIOR THESIS ABSTRACTS 2004

 

Chelsea Arkin (BMC) “Grassroots Movements in Philadelphia”

 

Oliver Baker (HC) Reinventing the Los Angeles River: Its Historical Importance and Future Significance”

 To many residents and visitors of Los Angeles, the 51-mile Los Angeles River represents little more than a joke. Journalists have often written that the Los Angeles River is where shopping carts go to die. Similarly, the river is best known for its role as a site for thrilling action scenes from Hollywood movies such as Them, Grease, and Terminator 2, not as a waterway. But the river's history runs deep; much deeper than the paltry flows that now sporadically occupy the concrete channel. The river's flows are directly responsible for the growth of Los Angeles, the same growth that ultimately led to the river's destruction. Recently there has been a renewed interest in revitalizing the river. The movement hopes to turn the river into a source of pride and recreation for Angelenos. But, the process has proved arduous as the fragmentation that resulted from the growth of the city now stands in the way of its recombination. This paper seeks to understand what the process of river revitalization reveals about the history of fragmentation in the Los Angeles basin, as well as what it can illuminate about the future of planning in a divided region.

 

Mary Katherine Baumann (BMC) “East Palo Alto: The Viability of a Minority-Dominated City in Silicon Valley”

 

Imogene Berry (BMC) “Whose Space Is it? The Transformation of Public Spaces in the Capital Cities of Washington, D.C. and London into National Public Space through Large National Protests”

            Symbolic backgrounds enhance the effectiveness of protests. The Lincoln Memorial behind Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., adds to the monumentality of his speech. Protests, in return, can have an effect on their environment. This thesis attempts to understand particularly how national protests transform capital city public space into national public space. The transformation takes place because of tensions in a protest are affected by crucial issues of legitimacy (political and spatial), success (literal and symbolic), and representation (amount and tone). The tension occurs physically between the space and large numbers of protesters, symbolically through actions such as marching away from houses of government representing the state, and organizationally trough the negotiations between protesters and authorities.  Symbolizing the democratic tension between the power of the people and the power of the state, such tensions in protests allow the national identity of public spaces in capital cities to ho heightened to the point that the spaces become national public space – space   where large groups of national citizens may gather at one time.

            Political legitimacy comes from the legality and historical precedence of a protest. Spatial legitimacy is determined by how much the organizers work with authorities to find protest venues acceptable to both parties. Literal success is the concrete achievement 0£ the protestts immediate goal, whereas symbolic success is the impression upon observers of how important the protested issue is. Representation of the protest influences its symbolic success by controlling what and how much of it the public sees. The ease studies of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on 2S August 1963 and the London Anti-War Protest on 15 February 2003 applied the framework to transform the spaces they used into national public space.

 

 

Ted Burgwyn (HC) “Providing Security in the City of Brotherly Love: an Analysis of the Restructuring of Policing in Philadelphia and its Consequences”

                The most profound change that has occurred in policing over the past fifty years was characterized by Bayley and Shearing in 2001 as the "restructuring of modern policing."  While this restructuring involves many different aspects, the one that could potentially have the biggest impact is the growing influence of the private security industry in the realm of policing. This paper describes the history and the socio-political factors that have contributed to the restructuring of policing and the changing roles 9f both the public and the private sectors as they relate to security provision. The main purpose is to evaluate the consequences restructuring has had on both the quality of security provision in general and the rights of individual citizens. Many academics believe that the lack of an effective mechanism of accountability for private security guards, as well as the liability issues that arise as private and public sectors interact within the business of policing, means that restructuring will have a negative impact on the city. Some even believe that restructuring is creating a "widening net of social control, "as increased interaction between public and private providers of security leads to invasions of privacy and individual liberties. Using Philadelphia as a case study the argument put forth in this paper goes contrary to the received academic opinion. In my view, restructuring is having only a limited effect on both the public police and the rest of the city 's population. Contrary to what is commonly found in the literature, the effects of restructuring in Philadelphia have, for the most part, been positive. The city has indeed benefitted from whatever restructuring has taken place; given the continuation and development of current policy, benefits will accrue in the near future.

 

Melissa Cook (BMC) “Small Cities and the Construction of Metropolitan Los Angeles”

 

Alexander Craig (HC) “Hispanics in the Chicago Economy: An Analysis of the Earnings Determination of Chicano and Puerto Rican Males”

                   The rapid growth of the Hispanic population in recent years raises many questions about their disadvantaged economic standing in the United States and the differences in economic standing between Hispanic subgroups. In this thesis, I analyze the economic standing of Chicano and Puerto Rican males in Chicago, as defined through earnings. To this end, I examine the historical experiences of both groups in the city before turning to an analysis of their relative economic standing. Using aggregated census tract-level data from 1980 to 2000, the results indicate that earnings determinants are different for the two groups. Consistent with prior economic theory, schooling is important in determining earnings for both Chicano and Puerto Rican males, although the rate of return of schooling is greater for Puerto Ricans than it is for Chicanos. The different effects of English proficiency on the earnings of Chicano and Puerto Ricans are particularly puzzling. I argue that differences in the determination of earnings account for some, but not all, of the earnings disparity between the two groups. In combination with an examination of the historical conditions of each group, however, the economic analysis of earnings determination presented in this thesis is important for understanding the earnings disparity between Chicano and Puerto Rican males in Chicago and their relative economic standing in the city.

 

Jessica Elton (HC) Contending with Privileged Influx: Lessons from Boston’s Mission Hill

Gentrification occurs in disinvested urban neighborhoods around the world.  Individuals with incomes higher than the majority of the existing population rent or buy property, upgrade the buildings, and attract further investment.  City governments may actively encourage gentrification because cities benefit from the increase in expendable income and enhanced tax base.  Yet, there are critical negative impacts of gentrification: property values often increase, pricing existing residents out of their homes.  While some types of change are necessary for a neighborhood’s perpetuation and development, gentrification is often more harmful than helpful to the existing local community.

What can neighborhood communities do to minimize the displacement of existing residents while encouraging change that improves quality of life in the neighborhood?  This thesis examines strategies employed to such ends by actors in the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, where the expansion of nearby universities and hospitals coupled with increased real estate speculation threaten the endurance of a racially diverse, low to moderate-income community.  Actors implement a variety of tactics to minimize displacement of existing residents in Mission Hill.  Several community groups develop subsidized housing for low to moderate-income people, while another organization takes part in the licensing and permitting processes to challenge development by institutions and real estate speculators that is unwanted by the community.  Other groups transcend the physical scale of the neighborhood in their methods by organizing tenants in multi-neighborhood districts so that tenants can negotiate effectively with landlords regarding rent increases, and by promoting policies such as section 8 and rent control.  The case of Mission Hill suggests that community strategies that contend with gentrification on a local level can stall unwanted trends.  Still, policies that compensate for the inability of the market to provide affordable housing are critical to ensuring the longevity of thriving, low to moderate-income urban communities.

 

 

Lila Garrott (BMC) “Papal (E)state: An Examination of the Attitudes of the Renaissance Papacy toward Rome and the Vatican as Expressed Through Building Projects”

                This thesis is a discussion of the building projects initiated in the Vatican City and in Rome by the Renaissance popes between 1480 and 1520. The popes were successful in completely rebuilding the Vatican City and much of the Vatican quarter of Rome, but several of their projects in the city of Rome itself fell through or were forcibly abandoned. Why did the popes have such control over the area surrounding the Vatican, and only intermittent or sporadic control over the rest of the city, of which they were the ruling princes? The paper hypothesizes that the papal inability to maintain complete control over the city of Rome outside the Vatican quarter comes from the attitude on the part of the popes that both Rome and the Vatican were portions of their private estates, to be run as estates are run, and to be run especially for the benefit of the estate holder. This worked in the Vatican complex, but eventually it did not work in the city of Rome, which contained many people who were not directly associated with the papacy and which had many complicated needs which were not met by the attitude of estate management.

The paper traces this attitude of Rome as a private papal estate beginning with its inception by Nicholas V (1447-4455), continuing with its elaboration by his successors, the climax of papal control in the reign of Julius 11(1503-1513), the gradual loss of papal control by Julius' successor, Leo X (1513-23), and the catastrophic loss of even the ability to build by Leo's successor, Clement VII (1523-34). It then discusses how revision of this attitude was necessary for the regaining of some control over the city by Clement's successor, Paul 111(1534-49), and how this revised attitude paved the way for the appearance of later, successful papal planning of the entire city.

 

 

Emily Melia Grigg-Saito (BMC) “Corporate Redevelopment and Ideas of Monumentality:The Shiodome Site, Roppongi Hills and their Place in Tokyo’s Polycentralization Policies”

                 Motivated by a desire for global competitiveness as well as by the severe overcrowding that has long been part of the lifestyle of Tokyo’s inhabitants, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government’s Urban Planning Bureau puts forth plans for decentralization and the creation of a circular “megalopolis” with various subcultural nodes, resembling a connected circle of cities surrounded by ample green space.  In the year 2003, two major corporate redevelopments have been completed: the Roppongi Hillls complex in the heart of the City and the Shiodome site, at the proposed southern node of Tokyo Bay. Looking at these sites through the lens of the Tokyo Government’s decentralization policies provides possible frameworks for successful (or not so successful ) future developments.  Having historically relied on land readjustment as a way of controlling widespread urban sprawl, Tokyo is now pursuing a policy of deconcentration; whether or not deconcentration is the best way to deal with Tokyo’s sprawl can be explored by how these two sites, one privately acquired and developed, and the other supported by the municipal government, fit into the urban fabric of Tokyo. While creating a number of subcentral nodes throughout the metropolitan area may take pressure off the center city, something must be done to address the decreasing number of residents in the inner core.

 

Shah Aashna Hossain (BMC) “Representations of London in Ethnic Film”

 

Karen Jenks (BMC) “Musicality and Mutability: An Examination of Relationships between Complementary Concert Halls”

            Major cities are characterized, in part, by their cultural and entertainment institutions: in most cases, each city contains one of each building; one baseball stadium, one art museum, one convention center. These buildings have command over all the events that need these specific spaces. What happens, then, when there are two buildings for one cultural function? This is played out in the cultural dynamics of New York City and Philadelphia. Both cities have two fully functioning concert halls: Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall in New York, and the Academy of Music and the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. What are the relationships between the older and newer buildings? How can we measure the success of the newer halls? And finally, what were the original administrative reasons for building the new concert halls, and have these managerial decisions been successful in creating halls that measure up to their predecessors? These questions, while important, are becoming even more pertinent with the current discussions between the administrations of Carnegie Hall and Avery Fisher Hall about the home of the New York Philharmonic. Studying the actions that New York and Philadelphia have taken can help other cities when the time comes for old concert halls to be renovated or even replaced by new ones.

 

Emily Kahoe (BMC) “A Gallon of Milk Weighs Eight Pounds: Toward Greater Community Food Security Though Removing Geographic Barriers to Food Access”

The problems of contemporary urban food systems are replete with stories of the underserved: those who do not have access to quality food, fair prices, or adequate transportation to get their food home. These factors are barriers to food security, which is defined as having access to nutritionally adequate and culturally appropriate food, as well as the financial and intellectual resources to purchase and prepare it. As the food retail industry has centralized similar to other industries, supermarkets have become fewer and far between, spreading out to the suburbs, leaving the city behind.

Low income, a lower level of car access, and the state of food retail in inner city Philadelphia needs to change to meet the food needs of everyone. This thesis argues that food retail can learn from innovations made in the geography of food distribution by three non-profit concerned with providing better food access to their communities. By comparing the three models - a Mobile Market in Oakland, SHARE buying club, and The Food Trust's Farmers' Markets, both [n Philadelphia -- examining what they are doing well, and what they each value most, this paper uncovers cultural and social motivations in the establishment of food retail places, a component of food and eating that is often overlooked by pragmatic, policy-oriented studies of food security scholars. By seeing our food systems as reflective of the people that they feed, and of the social and cultural tendencies of these people, food retail can grow through seeking to meet all the needs of its target population  food needs as well as the need for a community space with multiple uses.

Caleb Linville (HC) “Redesign of Neighborhood Space in South Philadelphia”

 

Mara J. Marina (BMC) “Multi-Purpose to Sport Specific: Urban Change, Sports Culture and Stadium Trends in Philadelphia”

             Over the last century, stadiums have changed in regard to urban change and sports culture. These changes include location, size, design, users, and amenities among many more. Stadium change is influenced by both national trends and local particularities. Philadelphia stands as an example for these changes.

             In the first half of the Twentieth century, Philadelphia has implemented stadium trends that have become the standard for other cities. Shibe Park built in 1909 in North Philadelphia. was the first steel baseball facility in America. Shibe Park became a paradigm for planners. policymakers owners, and architects on a national level during the first half of the twentieth century because of its unique and cutting edge design. However, as suburbanization and decentralization and other local particularities drove people out of the neighborhood surrounding the ballpark, leaders realized that North Philadelphia was not a prime location and a new site should be discussed. Also. the 1960’s marked a decade of the multi-purpose stadium, a design that provided for football,  baseball. and a multitude of other events. A shift occurred. The Philadelphia stadium no longer had such influence over urban change. Veterans Stadium, constructed in 1971,  was the new multi-purpose stadium built in a non-central south location. This stadium was a product of both the desire to move away from North Philadelphia and follow the ideals of new stadiums in other cities. Like the majority of stadiums before it, Veteran’s stadium experienced a decline in popularity over time.

             With the opening of Baltimore’s Oriole Park at Camden Yards in 1992 and the  era of neo-traditionalist stadiums in the central business district, Philadelphia chose to abandon Veterans Stadium for two new sport specific stadiums. Philadelphia is a  particular case to recent stadium trends, because even though the two new stadiums have followed design trends, they abandoned the contemporary model to move back into the central business district. Instead,  the new stadiums will remain in the same southern location because of neighborhood resistance and a lack of funding along with the desirability of this location.

 

Thatcher Mines (HC) “The Military and Americorps: Race, Recruiting and the Realities of National Service”

         This thesis analyzes the racial make-up and the recruiting strategies aimed to create a diverse staff within the context of two different aspects of US national service, the military, (particularly the Army), and AmeriCorps. It compares the advertisement campaigns that both organizations have developed to target non-white groups, its reflection in the actual make-up of the two organizations, and finally an alternative analysis examining the utilization of promoted job training and educational opportunities by service people themselves.

         Although these two organizations differ greatly in mission, size, and funding, in different ways they both work to foster racial diversity. By looking at the history, structure, policy, demographics and recruiting strategies of both organizations in the context of changing racial demographic trends I show that though AmenCorps is often perceived as a more racially diverse institution, the military has uniformly higher statistical racial integration within its individual branches.

In chapter one I argue that the military's success in generating racially integrated spaces throughout the Army, Navy, and Air Force comes from the military's research driven micro-management of recruiting made possible by high levels of  funding. Whereas Americorps, as discussed in chapter 2, admirable discourse and institutional support of racial diversity within service as a tool for social change adresss interpersonal racial integration, but fails to create comparable statistical diversity across all memberprograms. Each section is divided into subsections on structure, policy, demographics, recruiting and an analysis of actual recruiting materials.

         Chapter 3 synthesizes the common findings of the previous two chapters to discuss the highly similar incentives offered by each respective institution in exchange for service. Low utilization of educational benefits, and the questionably applicability of vocational and job training skills in greater society lead me to conclude that the military and AmeriCorps, in potentially racialized ways, function as a secondary and therefore lesser, path to higher education and the job market.

        I conclude by stressing the need for further research into disparities between expectations of service members for upward mobility through education, vocational and job training as benefits of service, and the realities that they face. Particular attention would ideally be paid to data which would confirm preliminary indicators of particularly racialized patterns.

 

Emily Moos (BMC) “From Glen to Glass: An Exploration of Urban Renewal Planning in Downtown Hartford and its Regional Repercussions”

           In 1868, Mark Twain, famous American author and Hartford, Connecticut dweller described the city of Hartford: "Everywhere the eye turns is blessed with a vision of refreshing green. You do not know what beauty is if you have not been here" (A ira 1868). However, as the post-World War years came into focus, so did a less green, less picturesque city of Hartford. Like many other American cities in the mid-twentieth century, Hartford sought to beautify and revitalize its downtown through the process of urban renewal.  However, unlike many other cities, Hartford's efforts at renewal, an exhibit of "pure planning' served not to create a vibrant social space downtown, but rather to visually and economically bolster its identity as corporate backdrop. In my thesis, I will use the first big urban renewal project, Constitution Plaza, as my guide to critique Hartford planning from its early stages and characterize the forces driving it. I ultimately link the city's planning process to the harsh realities of its lifeless downtown and worsening alienation from its surrounding region.

 

 

Laura Smoot “Whose Streets? Explaining 40 Years of Redevelopment and Gentrification in University City, Philadelphia”

       As the city's largest employer, and an institution with considerable investment and sincere interest in the vitality of its surrounding communities and neighborhoods, the University of Pennsylvania has had a large role in sculpting a large section of West Philadelphia known as University City. Yet almost any conversation with people who live or work in University City reveals that there are deep divisions and real tensions in the relationship between Penn students and administrators with many non-Penn residents and communities.

             Part of  this division and tension is related to the university's facilitation of' gentrification that is currently changing some neighborhoods and communities in University City.  However, the divergent goals and power imbalances implicit iii the conflicts about gentrification are rooted in University City's histories of the movement of people, movement of capital, and the creation and destruction of space. These histories are in turn bound to larger historical processes like suburbanization.

             Guided by interviews and other research. this thesis project attempts to  some of these histories and conflicts. The way forward for University City depends on w'hat the various actors make of their pasts, so the aim of this project is an understanding that can help to create more democraatic urban planning in a shared city.

 

Sonam Tamang (BMC)”Philadelphia on Film: Mainstream and Mainstream Representations of Gender, Race and Class”

This thesis takes a look at mainstream and non-mainstream representations of Gender, Race and Class in Philadelphia films. Chapter One looks a~ seven mainstream films while chapter two looks at three independent films and five advocacy and documentary films. Looking at films as a rich source of discourse on gender, race and class, this thesis compares the mediums of mainstream filmmaking and non-mainstream filmmaking. In studying both non-mainstream and mainstream films and exploring their differences and similarities, a clearer and well-rounded understanding of the city's image can be gained.

 

Junette Teng (BMC) “’Star-chitects’: The Commodification of Frank Gehry and Rem Koolhaas”

Architecture has been utilized for centuries as a means to express power whether politicallv or economically.   Recently, there seems to be a growing modern trend of' commissioning projects by renowned architects because of their reputation and name. In a sense, this "brand-naming" began much earlier with architects such as Frank Lloyd \Vriuht and Le Corbusier and has continued with contemporaries such as Frank Gehry and Rem Koolhaas. But there is a distinction between the architects of our past and of today -what may have begun as elitist is now pop culture. Certain "star" architects today are being commodified as  a result of key commissions from powerful patrons and clients, the Pritzker Prize, media manipulation. consumer marketing and the world of fashion  Their names have dispersed globally by these means, creating the phenomenon of the "star-chitect."

             This thesis uses the architects Frank Gehry and Rem Koolhaas as case-studies in how architects become "brand-name" commodities through commissions that have received worldwide and spawned the spread of' their "star-chitect" status. It is largely the clients for these architects and how ehanges in urban functions, policies. and the quality of' urban life have affected our perceptions on the built environment here in the United States and Europe.

            The architects’ collaborations with the Guggenheim Foundation are vital to their rise to fame.  In a sense, the Guggenheim itself has become a priceless commodity associated with city revitalization with the help of these star architecte. In addition, this thesis discusses other tools in architectural  brand-naming.  In the case of Gehry, his stints in marketed furniture design as well as a recent partnership with Fossil watches have consumers associating him with the mark of celebrity. Koolhaas’ alternate route lies in his partnership with the fashion name-brand Prada, desiging anti-flagship epicenter stores and theorizing on shopping.

 

Jennifer Ward (HC) “Selling the City: Preserving and Producing Memory”

            Examining preservation activities in central Philadelphia's historic society Hill and Independence Hall district highlight the changing functions, ideals, and practices of preservation in the last two centuries. This thesis demonstrates the diverse roles that preservation has been able to fulfill for the city of Philadelphia and the ways in which it has shaped historical memory. It argues that the various approaches in preservation have combined to preserve and manufacture the historic image fundamental to Philadelphia's identity.

            Defined by methods and motivations for preservation, three periods stand out. Specifically, Chapter one examines nineteenth century preservation efforts that save Independence Hall and use it to manufacture and celebrate a common American identity. Chapter two investigates why the preservation movement evolves to include restoration projects and eventually becomes a model for urban renewal in postwar plans for Society Hill. Historic preservation undergoes its final development as the Bicentennial approaches. Chapter three analyzes the incorporation of new construction into the realm of historic preservation and its role in the alteration and production of memory. Ultimately, my thesis will show that the selective and discriminative processes of preservation have provided us with a marketable and restricted interpretation of

history in the center of Philadelphia that has been complimented by new construction.

 

Bethanne Wilson (BMC) “It Was all Greek to them: Nicholas Biddle, Benjamin Henry Latrobe and the Greek Revival in Philadelphia”

The Greek Revival in Philadelphia, which occurred in the early to mid `1830s, was an attempt by early Americans to develop an architectural style for the young country. Philadelphia was the most prosperous city in the country at the time, and the “birthplace of democracy.”  It was not unusual for it to be linked with Athens, the great birthplace of ancient democracy, and it was looked at as an example of architecture for the country.  However, looking at the writings of Nicholas Biddle and Benjamin Henry Latrobe, two important proponents of the movement in Philadelphia, in conjunction with the buildings with which they were involved, a more complete understanding fo the ideals behind the movement can be obtained. Biddle’s ideals of the American citizen and Latrobe’s theories on the production of great architecture under democracy show that they were looking to Greece as a glorious model and also with expectation that America could protect its freedom unlike Greece.

            However, factors such as Biddle’s disregard for function in his building as well as political motivations of opponents, such as Andrew Jackson, who opposed Biddle’s roele as president of the Second Bank of the United States, would ultimately cause negative associations of the power of the wealthy with the Greek Revival. In this way, the Greek Revival in Philadelphia came to carry associations beyond glories of American democracy.

 

Linda Wisniewski (BMC) “Housing in Philadelphia, 1890-1920: Apartment Houses for a ‘City of Homes’”

               The dominance of the "morally desirable" single-family dwelling in Philadelphia in the late nineteenth century distinguished the city from other urban areas where multi-family dwellings were an economic necessity for residents. The first chapter will discuss the validity of this nickname by looking at the factors that enabled the construction of single-family dwellings. Residential and business directories as well as census data from 1900 and 1920 demonstrate that Philadelphia's reputation as a "city of homes" was partly a perception that overshadowed an increasing population of hotels and apartment houses. The second chapter will discuss the growth of hotels and apartment houses in Philadelphia as indicated in these sources. Where were they located and who lived in them? The development of apartment housing in Philadelphia, especially in the neighborhoods depended upon the same segregating forces that enabled the development of the single-family dwelling. In the end residents of these multi-family dwellings were in transitional phases of their lives where he single-family

dwelling would not have been suitable.

 

Sylvia Yoo (HC) “Behind the Scenes: A Look into the Decentralization Process of the City of Los Angeles and the Future of Downtown”

            The sprawl of Los Angeles is unlike any city in the United States. Economic growth and changes, political power shifts, and the development of convenient transportation have all helped to shape the landscape of the City of Los Angeles.  One factor directly affects another, causing the sprawl and fragmentation that is Los Angeles today. While most urban revitalization projects help to recentralize the city, Los Angeles has had a history of failures with their revitalization project. How do the current revitalization projects differ from the past, and do they provide insight to the future of Downtown Los Angeles?

 

Nicole Zachary (BMC) “Marketing Heritage: Sustaining Images of Community in Vermont”

             Heritage is a cultural product that is a necessity to the sustained economic and cultural success of communities in Vermont. With its picturesque beauties and putative "small town America" reputation

             Vermont relies heavily on images of heritage not only for identity,, but also for income through the tourism industry.  This study explores the benefits and drawbacks of marketing an image of a community with the aim of creating a heritage-based tourissm market. It also explores ways in which the implementation of heritage tourism marketing strategies can affect the public spaces and social fabric of a community in positive and negative ways.

             Through the study of two towns in Vermont -- one with an established heritage tourism base and community planning focus, and one which is in the early stages of revitalization and tourism planning -- I will examine ways in which the celebration of heritage can foster social and economic benefits both directly and indirectly. This study is important to the continued support of local heritage and sustainable development through community, involvement in planning. A marketable image that remains as true to a communities actual heritage that which they define for themselves and perceive to be authentic as possible will be the most effective tool in creating an environment which is sustainable as both a tourist destination and a cohesive community