This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via ISI Web of Science (4) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Mcmanus, P. Articles by Haughton, G. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                   What's this?

Planning with Ecological Footprints: a sympathetic critique of theory and practice

School of Geosciences, Madsen Building, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia pmcmanus{at}mail.usyd.edu.au

Graham Haughton

Department of Geography, University of Hull, Hull HU6 7RX; tel: +44 1482 465006; fax: +44 1482 466340 g.f.haughton{at}hull.ac.uk

The concept of the Ecological Footprint has become a popular and increasingly used approach in environmental policy and planning, for western cities in particular. The concept is useful not least as a metaphor that effectively communicates the message that environmental impacts extend beyond the built area of cities. However, the use of Ecological Footprint analysis as a measuring tool is problematic, particularly when it is used as a tool for comparisons between jurisdictions. This paper sets out the benefits of the concept, indicates its history and use, and offers a sympathetic critique of both the theory and practice of Ecological Footprints. We believe this is necessary so that policy makers thinking of adopting this approach are aware of its strengths and limitations, and avoid using the concept in a manner that may be misleading.

Key Words: cities • Ecological Footprint • hinterlands • planning • sustainability

CiteULike    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?