Coastal areas are among the most crowded and developed regions in the nation. They also contain some of the most expensive real estate, which means fewer of the people who work in the coastal zone—such as nurses, firefighters, and office workers—can afford to live there.
Why is this a concern for coastal resource managers? Because, as managers in California are finding, a lack of affordable housing ultimately affects a community's economic health and the quality of life of its residents.
California's coastal managers saw this problem coming in the early 70s and included policies addressing affordable housing in their original legislation. The cover story of this edition of Coastal Services follows the fate of that directive.
California's experience shows us that while the need for affordable housing shouldn't outweigh legally mandated natural resource protection and other directives, it should at least be on the table with other coastal management issues. And it should be on the table before there is no shoreline left to develop.
To help address this and other land use planning issues related to sprawl, this year's Annual Ocean and Coastal Program Managers' Meeting is focusing on economic valuation, and evaluation of our coastal and ocean resources.
The overall theme for the 2003 Program Managers' Meeting, scheduled for March 18 through 20 at the Renaissance Hotel in Washington D.C., is "Valuing the Coast." The use of economic valuation to address hazards and protected areas also will be discussed.
You should walk away from the meeting having a better understanding of what economic valuation is and does, its importance, how to critique the cost/benefit analyses, and how to communicate economic valuation information to the public and policy makers. You also should come away armed with helpful resources.
This meeting provides an important forum for ocean and coastal managers to meet, share ideas, and discuss challenges facing the resource management community.
I hope to see you there!
-- Margaret A. Davidson
