Environmental Amenities and Regional Economic Development

Description

Economic development and the environment are presumed to be in conflict, but the latter part of the twentieth century experienced a series of economic changes that increasingly questioned this view. Economic activity became more footloose and the ability to attract productive labor became a prominent regional development concern. Consequently, environmental amenities began to have a larger role... Read more

Economic development and the environment are presumed to be in conflict, but the latter part of the twentieth century experienced a series of economic changes that increasingly questioned this view. Economic activity became more footloose and the ability to attract productive labor became a prominent regional development concern. Consequently, environmental amenities began to have a larger role in determining the patterns of regional growth and development, and subsequently moved to the forefront of current regional economic development thought and practice.

Environmental amenities provide non-pecuniary benefits to area residents, and induce in-migration flows to regions that possess high levels of environmental amenities. The attraction is particularly strong for those individuals with higher incomes and wealth. The combined forces of increased demand for environmental amenities and increased spatial flexibility of production has brought environmental amenities to the forefront of current regional economic development thought and practice. Regional economic development policy needs to consider the tradeoffs of attracting firms or people, which requires an understanding of the role the environment plays directly or indirectly in attracting firms and households. This book presents key papers that explore the role of the natural environment in regional economic development. The papers contain critical insights and information for both researchers and practitioners interested in the nexus between environmental amenities and regional economic growth and development.

The book covers varied dimensions of this issue, including: the relative importance of amenities in recent variation in regional growth; the role of local infrastructure in promoting amenity-led development; socio-economic distribution concerns and sustainability of amenity-based growth; and the effects of local environmentally protected areas on other economic activities. This book will be of most value to practitioners and academics, specifically related to the areas of environmental economics, regional economic development, local and regional planning, public administration and public policy.

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Chapter 1: Environmental Amenities and Regional Economic Development: Introduction: Chapter 2. Moving to Nice Weather: Chapter 3. The Rise of the Sunbelt: Chapter 4. The Role of Amenities and Quality of Life in Rural Economic Growth: Chapter 5. Population Growth in High-Amenity Rural Areas: Does it Bring Socioeconomic Benefits for Long-Term Residents: Chapter 6. Natural Amenities and Rural Employment Growth: A Sector Analysis: Chapter 7. Recasting the Creative Class to Examine Growth Processes in Rural and Urban Counties: Chapter 8. An Analysis of Regional Economic Growth in the U.S. Midwest: Chapter 9. Public Conservation Land and Employment Growth in the Northern Forest Region: Chapter 10. The Geographic Diversity of U.S. Nonmetropolitan Growth Dynamics: A Geographically Weighted Regression Approach: Chapter 11. Voting with Their Feet: Jobs versus Amenities: Chapter 12. Population Growth in European Cities: Weather Matters - But Only Nationally: Chapter 13: Combining Nature Conservation and Residential Development in the Netherlands, England and Spain.

Editor(s)

Biography

Todd Cherry is Professor of Economics and Director of the Center for Economic Research and Policy Analysis at Appalachian State University, where he also is Director and Research Fellow at the Appalachian Energy Center.

Dan Rickman is Regents Professor of Economics and OG&E Chair in Regional Economic Analysis, Oklahoma State University. Rickman’s research focuses on the workings of regional and urban economies and regional economic development policy

Environmental Amenities and Regional Economic Development

Description

Table of Contents

Editor(s)

Biography

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