Tom Devenney Development Learning Activity

The first case study that I’ve selected takes place in Santa Monica, California. The information has been provided by the City of Santa Monica, so it is possible that there may be some bias in the information. The goals of this course of action were to implement sustainable development in the areas of community and economic development, construction and development, education, energy, hazardous materials, housing, purchasing, solid waste, storm water and wastewater, transportation, and water. The general goal of sustainable development is to generate development in the present without comprimising the needs of future generations, so the development that the city is doing needed to be environmentally, socially, and economically friendly in the present and in the future, which is generally extremely difficult to do without impacting fossil fuels, freshwater resources, minerals, trees, and food sources. Here is a link to the web page: http://personal.colby.edu/personal/t/thtieten/sc-ca.html

The second case study that I’ve selected takes place in Malaysia. The information comes from the Ministry of Tourism in Malaysia and studies by professors at the University of New South Wales. This case of sustainable development is interesting because the ultimate goal is to increase tourism in their country. The specific goal is to implement sustainable practices into resource development and operation. This would generate more tourism because the amount of visitors that support environmentally and socially responsible tourism is increasing. This is an extremely difficult challenge for Malaysia because tourist locations consume more energy, water, and non-durable products that other buildings of similar size. This sustainable development could be incredibly important, not only for the natural resource conservation for future generations, but also for the increased tourism and lift to the economy for future generations as well. Here is a link to the web page: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/265051293_Sustainable_resort_development_Malaysian_case_studies

My hometown of Lititz, Pennsylvania is in the middle of a huge economic and social development. I see how my small town is growing commercially and residentially through new buildings, homes, and businesses. My hometown is similar to Santa Monica’s development in terms of recognizing the need to develop sustainably to ensure the welfare of future generations, however sustainable development on the west coast in 1994 is different than sustainable development in rural Pennsylvania due to the differences in resources, climate, and topography. We can learn from Santa Monica that there are a lot of different aspects that an area needs to focus on to ensure sustainable development. My hometown’s development is similar to that of Malaysia’s because Lititz is a hotspot for tourism and intends to keep it that way. It is different again because of the differences in climate and demographics in Lititz and Malaysia. Lititz can learn from Malaysia in that a way to ensure tourism growth is to develop in a sustainable way.

2 thoughts on “Tom Devenney Development Learning Activity

  1. Hi, my name is Sarah and here is a link to my blog post: http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/26/module-5-development-case-studies-8/.
    In my post I discussed Tanzania’s Free Education Policy and curbing tobacco in Poland. I really found your second case study interesting, and I like how you related it to your hometown of Lititz, PA. I don’t live far from Lititz, and I have been there to visit. There are many things about Lititz that I think would attract tourism, such as the factory tours and shopping. I also like how you mentioned that by recognizing the need for sustainability, you’re ensuring the welfare of future generations. This is really important, and I think by increasing the revenue of Lititz from increased tourism, your town is helping out its future generations as well. Great post!

  2. Hi! My name is Sara Getson and in my blog post I mainly discussed the developments of two different companies and how they are trying to mitigate their negative impact on the environment. One company developed kinetic sidewalks, which create energy as people tread on them, which they other, a mining company, implemented a Net Positive Impact (NPI) policy. Here is a link to my post http://geog030.dutton.psu.edu/2016/02/25/sara-getson-pavegen-and-rio-tinto/. I really liked how you chose one case study from inside the US and then another one from outside the country. I thought the topic of the second case study was very interesting. I’m not sure I always think of tourism when I think of sustainability, but it totally makes sense and I liked what they are trying to do in that area of the economy. Nice post!

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