"That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology", wrote Aldo Leopold in 1933, "but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics". Since then, every generation has taken up Leopold's search for a "land ethic" to guide decision-making which would balance economic considerations with concerns for beauty, sustainability and quality-of-life. Should a community preserve or develop the remaining wetlands within its jurisdiction? Should a local government allow low-income housing to be built in an affluent neighbourhood? Does a farmer continue farming despite surrounding urbanization or does he sell the land for a profit and allow further development? "Ethical Land Use" is an examination of the ethical dimensions of land use decisions and policy. Its premise is that all land use decisions - whether to build an interstate highway or maintain a suburban lawn with chemical fertilizers - invariably involve ethical choices. Historically, Beatley observes, many such decisions were made on narrow legal, technical or economic grounds rather than on a full consideration of their complex ethical and moral dimensions.
Drawing on a combination of actual land use conflicts and hypothetical scenarios, Beatley offers a full description and analysis of the difficult issues faced by policymakers as well as individual citizens.