Balance : Lancaster County's tragedy

Lancaster County, Pennsylvania residents are proud of their agricultural heritage. They do not want to see their farmland disappear. But the County continues to be developed into residential subdivisions. This thesis explores the inconsistency in the perspectives and actions of residents regarding farmland preservation and development. Contrary to what you might expect, those in the County who want to preserve farmland and those who are developing the land are often the same people. Individuals talk about the importance of saving farmland, even though they just bought a home that was built on what was an active farm. Farmers, who have a deep connection with the County's land and know its importance, choose to develop their farms. It's not a complete mystery as to why this is happening, but it is a wonder how these individuals deal with their personal inconsistencies. How do such individuals confront the inconsistencies that they face? Furthermore, how do they justify their actions regarding the development of farmland? How do these groups of people as individuals see themselves in relation to the conflict between farmland preservation and development? Are they simply ambivalent?

Department dc:contributor.department

Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning

Grantor dc:publisher

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Year dc:date.issued

2007

Author dc:creator

• Gingrich, Valerie (Valerie J.)

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Terry S. Szold.

• Urban Studies and Planning.

Statement dc:rights

• M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission.

Licence dc:rights.uri

• http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582

Language dc:language.iso

eng

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/39849

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/39849