Planning for Resources-Environmental Conservation

The need for comprehensive, integrated, resources-environmental planning is rising in an era of mounting endangerment of the human environment. The present place and potential of civil engineering—inherently concerned with the problems of citizen and civilization—in this scene are substantial. The burgeoning requirement for environmental impact reviews substantially expands desirability and opportunity for civil engineering participation. However, the overall philosophy and organization of comprehensive planning must be interdisciplinary, with application of the gamut of concerned physical, social, and administrative sciences and arts. Analysis includes general views of: (1) the evolutionary setting, with emphasis on conservation, river basins and regions; (2) situation and directions of planning in the present era; (3) comprehensive planning requirements, purposes, and principles; (4) organizational arrangements; (5) global aspects; and (6) salient conclusions as to civil engineering directions and practices.