Desert development : man and technology in sparse-lands

The fact that approximately one-third of the world's land mass is arid desert may be congenial for the camel and the cactus, but not for people. Nevertheless, well over half a billion people, or 15% of the world's population live in arid desert areas. If the world's population were distributed evenly over the land surface, we would expect to find about 30% of the population inhabiting arid desert areas. Does the fact that 'only' 15% of the world's population live in an arid desert environment reflect the harshness of the environment? Or is it a testimony to the adaptability and ingenuity of mankind? Do we view the glass as half-full? Or half-empty? The contributors to Desert Development: Man and Technology in Sparselands adopt the position that the cup is half-full and, in fact, could be filled much more. Indeed, many arid desert zones do thrive with life, and given appropriate technological develop­ ment, such areas could support even greater popUlations. While the dire Malthusian prediction that rapid world population growth exceeds the carrying capacity of existent resource systems has gained popularity (typified by the 1972 Club of Rome book, Limits to Growth), there is a growing body of serious work which rejects such pessimistic 'depletion' models, in favor of models which are mildly optimistic. Front Matter....Pages i-xvi Front Matter....Pages 1-1 Arid Zone Development: An Appraisal Towards the End of the Twentieth Century....Pages 3-13 Social Theory and Environmental Degradation....Pages 14-32 The Political Burden of Sparseland Development: Some International Consistencies....Pages 33-38 Front Matter....Pages 39-39 From Preconceived to Responsive Planning: Cases of Settlement Design in Arid Environments....Pages 41-59 Planning for Comfort in Hot Dry Climatic Regions....Pages 60-80 Desert Architecture — The Architecture of the Extremes....Pages 81-102 Front Matter....Pages 39-39 The Provision of Public Transit Services in the Arid Environment....Pages 105-117 Health Services in Sparsely Settled Areas....Pages 118-131 Delivering Essential Public Services to Arid Zone Nomads....Pages 132-149 High Technology Alternatives for Educational Systems in Sparsely Settled Zones: The Case of The Israeli Desert....Pages 150-163 Front Matter....Pages 165-165 Desert Agriculture — Past and Future....Pages 167-183 Desert Dune Sand and its Potential for Modern Agricultural Development....Pages 184-200 Remote Sensing for Arid Zone Developing....Pages 201-217 Potential Impacts of Telecommunications on the Economic Activities in Sparsely Populated Regions....Pages 218-232 Front Matter....Pages 233-233 The Development of Sparsely Populated Arid Regions: An Integrative Analysis with Application to the Negev....Pages 235-255 The Dynamics of Agricultural Development in Sparsely Populated Areas: The Case of the Arava....Pages 256-270 Development of Tourism Resort Areas in Arid Regions....Pages 271-284 Front Matter....Pages 165-165 New Frontiers in Desert Research....Pages 287-309 Back Matter....Pages 310-324