Thesis

Thesis Update 

By: Jonathan Smith

I recently wrote a paper in my Sustainable Development elective class, in Geography, and the topic is very applicable to my thesis. The research I managed to find brought forth a great deal of light as to where influences on my design should come from. The following not only gives a brief summary of the articles and journals, but also compares the types of sources as well. This gives an idea as to the credibility behind the information I am providing.

Developing Sustainably for Rising Sea Levels in Coastal Regions

Sustainable development is an approach to living as a society that meets the needs of the present inhabitants, but does not undermine the needs of their environment for generations to come. It has been viewed with mix opinions throughout the time of its conception up until the present. The methods and ways that countries are applying sustainable development vary widely all over the world. One key issue that many coastal areas around the globe have in common is the danger of rising sea levels. Some of the newest examples of these developing regions are written about in popular magazines as well as technical journals. The information provided in these corresponding magazines and journals can vary greatly. Some of the most beneficial articles are those that have any sort of geographic perspective behind the information given. This involves the desire to improve the health of the environment and the human condition of its inhabitants.

One example of a mainstream article that has good information about adapting sustainably to coastal flooding can be found in the New York Times. It is titled " How Cities Plan to Keep the Sea at Bay in an Age of Climate Change" and was written by Christopher F. Schuetze. The article opens with a reference to Hurricane Sandy and the possibility of future worst storms as a result of coastal waters rising roughly six inches per decade in the years to come. Schuetze also notes that New York City was considering a system of levees and surge barriers. Tactics such as these will need to be implemented in order to prevent flood damages to the underground infrastructure of the city. Another in depth model that consists of physical barriers such as dams, would follow in the footsteps of Amsterdam and cost roughly $10 billion. Extreme versions of these projects are mentioned in the article. The first, in Venice, is a system of gigantic movable floodgates that will be put into place in 2015. Another example he mentions that is possibly going to be implemented in Durban, South Africa will keep important infrastructure pieces away from floodable areas. The article then finishes up with talking about a couple of other minor plans for redistribution of flood water in New York.

The audience of the article seems to be a wide range of individuals. Because the article was published shortly after Hurricane Sandy, is most likely appealing to citizens in the area interested in how future flooding disasters can be mitigated. The article is very broad in the way that it is written, but comes off as very scattered after further analysis. Schuetze jumps ideas quite a bit without giving thoughtful input regarding to the information provided. The article does hold a sizeable underlying value and is significant in regards to giving the public ease of mind that future storms and coastal floods can be better prepared for. Schuetze does utilize a geographic perspective in the sense that he is portraying information that connects humans to their environments and the ability to develop coastal regions sustainably. A good follow-up to this article would be in ten to twenty years to write about the success of the sustainable models mentioned.

Another interesting article that covers a similar topic was published in The Institution of Civil Engineers Journal. This institution began in Scotland and consists of 80,000 members worldwide. They are devoted to delivering sustainable development "through knowledge, skills, and professional expertise." The journal has five officially cited authors, all of which can be found in the works cited, and is titled: "How the Dutch Plan to Stay Dry Over the Next Century." The majority of the paper explains the protection plan that they have researched for protecting the Netherlands from eminent future flooding from rising sea levels. At first, the authors illustrate the drastic economic impact that not implementing a plan will have. They state that roughly 65%  of their economic wealth lies in flood-prone areas, therefore the outcome could be catastrophic. The journal then proposes and explains a series of complex mega structures recommended by the Netherlands Delta Committee. This committee was developed to research flood disaster defenses in the area. The plan recommended a total of 12 major areas that the Netherlands could address in order to develop sustainably against flooding. The costs of these projects varied widely, but are were  consistently estimated to total billions of dollars. The paper concludes that these recommendations and developmental plans could be very successful by implementing them slowly over the course of time in order to promote a gradual transition.

This paper's audience varies quite a bit from the previous analyzed article. It seems as though this journal was intended to be written for a more technically based audience. The journal could definitely appeal to anyone interested in sustainable development, but has more use for readers looking for ways that countries are dealing with coastal flooding problems. The research to find this journal was very specific. The general public would most likely not stumble over the article without using a filtered academic search engine. Although the writing style is technical, it flows very well and is very straight forward to read. Similarly to Schuetze's article, this paper utilizes a geographic perspective in the research provided. The authors of the paper give a great deal data that would help to improve the sustainable development of not only the Netherlands, but also other regions in which this information can be applied. An appropriate journal to follow this one could be about how the Dutch are doing with implementing the recommended plans of development. This could determine the overall success of their planning and research.

In conclusion, both articles provide good information intended for very different audiences. The New York Times article provides a general overview of the covered topic, whereas the ICE journal gives the reader an in depth analysis of the topic applied to a very specific area. The ICE journal seems to be more useful in regards to the amount of information given and how it can be applied to what the reader may be looking for. Although there are many different articles and journals regarding sustainable development, the articles covered are two good examples that seemed to vary greatly but cover a similar topic.