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<br />IntrodUlctio][l <br /> <br />Gilbert White's influence on floodplain management practice in the United <br />States can hardly be overestimated. Even before his path-breaking 1942 <br />dissertation, Human Adjustment to Floods, was accepted and subsequently <br />published by the University of Chicago Department of Geography, he had begun <br />raising questions about the effectiveness of structural devices such as levees and <br />dams in flood prevention. Although humans have resorted to various protective <br />edifices for centuries to control floods, White's work demonstrated that flood <br />control structures not only occasionally fail the standards of reliability set by <br />planners but can actually increase the damage done when unsuspecting people risk <br />lives and money to develop the land supposedly protected. One flood, one break <br />in the levee, could spell disaster. White advocated the use of non structural <br />solutions, such as zoning restrictions and floodproofing, to complement or replace <br />more traditional structural approaches, <br /> <br />While White's academic career is distinguished, it is his commitment to <br />public policy that dramatically expands the significance of contributions. His <br />essays and books shun abstract theory and speculation in favor of clear policy <br />analysis. His goal is to influence the management of natural resources and to do <br />it in a way that takes into account psychological and sociological phenomena as <br />well as physical constraints. He is fascinated by the gap between our scientific <br />and technological capability to manage water as good stewards and our actual <br />willingness to do so. Central to the issue is the question of how hazards are <br />perceived, whether they be droughts, floods, or pollution. In analyzing the <br />problem, White employed interdisciplinary methods and insights long before such <br />an approach became fashionable. Moreover, with one eye on lessons from the <br />past, he has never lost sight of long-term objectives: sustaining life in all its <br />forms and avoiding violent confrontation both with one another and with nature <br />itself. These are responsibilities that require not only professional expertise but <br />strong spiritual values. <br /> <br />White's work reflects a sensitivity to the human condition rooted both in his <br />training as a geographer and his Quaker faith, His global studies of the <br />interaction between humankind and water resources implicitly suggest that the <br />choices humans make in one corner of the world may contain lessons for others <br />elsewhere. For over fifty years he has studied the human environment, ever <br />enlarging our understanding of the intricate relationship between social <br />development and the natural world. In this. his legacy among twentieth century <br />geographers is unrivaled. <br /> <br />Vll <br />